


Ready. Set. LOVE. [ Sugawara Koshi x Reader ]

by Cutesight



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff and Angst, Love Triangles, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:21:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 58
Words: 102,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutesight/pseuds/Cutesight
Summary: "Ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｅｖｅｎ ｌｏｖｅ ｍｅ Ｋａｇｅｙａｍａ？"- - - -A  sweet middle school relationship with Tobio Kageyama turns into Y/N's first heartbreak as the two struggle as first years at Karasuno High.Tobio Kageyama's passion for volleyball has overtaken him as he neglects their relationship.Y/N finds herself fighting for his attention constantly.When is enough, enough?It's clear as day that volleyball is Tobio's love.- - - -A slowburn angst fanfic.- - - -I *do not* give anyone any permission to translate, create videos, or republish my work. I have all rights to my stories and would appreciate everyone to enjoy them on the platforms I post these stories on. These stories are free and I don't feel comfortable knowing others are making money off of them. (｡•́︿•̀｡)If you see my work anywhere else other than Wattpad and AO3, just know I did not give them any permission.
Relationships: Sugawara Koushi/Reader
Comments: 24
Kudos: 81





	1. Prologue

𝒯𝑜𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝒦𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓎𝒶𝓂𝒶 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓉 𝒦𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓈𝓊𝓃𝑜 𝐻𝒾𝑔𝒽.

The thought stirs up butterflies in my stomach as I stare up towards the sunset glow sky. A smile creeps onto my face. 

"I wonder if our relationship will change now since we're no longer in middle school." I whisper into the cool breeze. Thoughts of Kageyama fills my mind. 

_His jet black hair._

_His dark blue eyes._

_His pink lips._

I also can't forget his muscular build. 

Tomorrow starts anew. 


	2. The start of anew

The spring breeze gently flutters the end of your dark gray skirt as you stare at the entrance of Karasuno High. Your hands clench tightly onto the straps of your backpack. Biting your lower lip you exhale deeply. Your nerves disarrayed from freshman jitters. As you stand there awkwardly a few students walk past you loudly chattering to their friends. A faint voice calls out to you but you barely hear them. Suddenly you feel something rest on the top of your head. Startled, you look up with wide eyes.

"...Did you not hear me call out to you Y/L/N?" A deep low voice speaks above you.

"Ah, sorry Kageyama." You lower your eyes, embarrassed.

He gently ruffles your hair before sliding his hand back into his pocket. His dark blue eyes glare at the school in front of him.

Kageyama originally planned to attend Shiratorizawa Academy but due to certain circumstances he was rejected. You feel the tense air around him as you stare at his face. His eyebrows knit together briefly before they relax as his eyes settle on you.

"We should look for our homeroom." Kageyama takes the lead as you quietly follow a few steps behind him. Your ears perk up as you hear a few squeals from female students around you. A few hushed whispers about Kageyama slipping through their lips.

Your lips form a thin line from their reaction. Being in a new school means no one knows your relationship with Kageyama. From their perspective the two of you probably look like friends. It also doesn't help that Kageyama has a hard time showing his affection to you. So at times the relationship tends to feel one sided.

Your steps slows down as you watch his tall figure. Kageyama quickly notices you're no longer following his pace. He turns around and without a word takes hold of your wrist. A blush streaks across his face from the touch of your skin.

"Ignore those girls." Kageyama speaks so softly that you barely heard him. The warmth from his hand erases the sadness you just felt mere seconds ago. Quietly, Kageyama pulls you along into the school building. After asking directions from one of the teachers, Kageyama walks you to your homeroom.

"My homeroom is just a few classes down." Kageyama looks past you, staring at his homerooms sign above the door. You follow his line of sight and nod your head.

"I'll see you at lunch then?"

Kageyama nods his head and urges you to go inside. With a smile on your face, you say bye to him and head into the classroom. The teacher starts to assign everyone their seats one by one. He points towards a desk seated by the hallway windows. "Y/L/N you can have a seat over there."

Nodding your head you take a seat at your desk. The very desk you'll be sitting in for the year. Your eyes glance out towards the hallway and to your surprise Kageyama is still out there. Seeing you settle into your seat he raises a hand up to wave at you before taking his leave. A smile forms on your cheeks as your chest warms up. His simple gestures causes your heart to squeal.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Lunch time rolls around and the two of you walk over to the gymnasium with milk boxes in hand.

"You're signing up for the volleyball club?" You ask Kageyama who silently nods his head.

"Just because Shiratorizawa Academy didn't accept me, doesn't mean I should give up on volleyball."

The two of you slow your paces as you hear shoes squeaking and loud slaps of a volleyball coming from behind the door. Kageyama opens the door and spots four students inside. A particular person sticks out to him. Kageyama's eyebrows knit together as he wears a scowl on his face. Before you can stop him, he's already storming up to the person.

"Ah..." Words escape you as you watch Kageyama rush over to tower over the boy with orange hair. You faintly remember someone with orange hair last year.

Feeling someone tower over him, the boy in question turns around to see Kageyama.

"HEY. IT'S YOU! FROM LAST YEAR." The orange haired boy shouts at Kageyama.

Kageyama silently glares at him. His emotions boiling as he remembers how irritated he felt from this short boy in last years volleyball game.

"What are you doing here at Karasuno?!" The boy loudly shouts.

Kageyama doesn't say a word as he stares through the shortie. "Don't you dare sign up for the volleyball club." The words slip through Kageyama's clenched teeth.

"AND WHY SHOULD I NOT?! I came here to finally play in a volleyball team." The short boy rages. Kageyama turns his attention over to the three upperclassman's and hands one of them his signup sheet.

One of the upperclassmen stares at the signup sheet in Kageyama's hands. He shakes his head with crossed arms. "As captain of the volleyball team, I need a team that can work together. I'm honored the King of the court wants to join us but I'd have to decline." The upperclassmen with short black hair says in a boasting voice.

Kageyama stiffens from the name ' _King_ '. His eyes glossing over. Hinata stifles a laughter under his breath at Kageyama's rejection.

"You shouldn't laugh either, first year." A buzzcut upperclassmen standing beside the captain says to Hinata. "Daichi hasn't accepted your application either." He says with a wide grin on his face.

Hinata stops his laughter and runs up to who you assume is the captain.

**Daichi.**

Bowing down, Hinata begs to join the club.

As you stare at the situation unraveling in front of you, two students clear their throats to get your attention. Your eyes follow up to a tall blonde haired boy with glasses and another shorter boy with somewhat green hair and freckles.

"Excuse us." The blonde boy says as he walks past you. The other boy follows right after him. You notice the two both holding slips of paper as well.

_Are they also volleyball players? First years maybe?_

Hinata continues to make a fuss as Kageyama lowers his head in anger. The two new students join the group, both extending their applications to Daichi.

From the corner of his eye the blonde haired boy sees Kageyama. A mischievous smirk on his face.

"Why isn't it the King." The blonde crosses his arms and turns to face Kageyama.

Kageyama grows more frustrated from the nickname as unpleasant memories from last year clouds his mind. His hands clench tightly as his fingers dig into his palm. You can feel Kageyama's tension all the way from here. The silence of the gymnasium not helping the thick atmosphere.

The third upperclassmen grows uncomfortable as he stares elsewhere, his eyes meeting your gaze briefly. He raises an eyebrow and makes his way over to you. His mid length silver hair bounces up and down when he jogs closer.

Slowly you inch away from the door. You only planned to come by to support Kageyama but seeing so many unfamiliar faces made you nervous and halted you to the entrance of the gymnasium. The upperclassman notices you backtracking from the gym and takes it into consideration.

"Ah, are you lost?" His voice calls out to you. He doesn't step near the door to give you space. You stand still, shaking your head side to side. With pursed lips you tell him that you're waiting for Kageyama. His eyebrows raise again.

"Kageyama?" The upperclassmen says, slowly turning to look behind him.

Kageyama walks past him with a dark gleam in his eyes.

"Let's go Y/L/N." Kageyama's dark tone startles you as you watch him walk past you. Quickly, you bow to the silver haired upperclassmen. You squeak out an excuse me and quickly run up to Kageyama's side. Your untouched milk carton still in hand, you offer it to Kageyama. The milk carton now in his field of vision. Kageyama's creased brows slowly relax as he stops in his tracks. His dark blue eyes look down at you, the dark gleam slowly disappearing. A small smile forms on his face and he takes the milk from your hand. Your fingertips grazing against each other. He relaxes his stiff shoulders and exhales. 

"Thank you Y/L/N." His hand naturally strokes the top of your head. A gentle expression on his face that you get to see personally. With a tint of pink on your cheeks you flash him a shy smile. The two of you are unaware of the lurking eyes coming from the gymnasium. 

"He smiles?" Hinata speaks aloud, eyes raised in shock. 

"I never knew the King himself had a girl." The blonde haired boy says under his breath. 

"You'd think that face of his would scare them all off." The boy with freckles chimes in. 

Kageyama turns to glare at the onlookers, his teeth clenching together. "Mind your own business!" Kageyama shouts at them before making his way over to the courtyard. Hinata growls at Kageyama and readies himself to chase after him. In a flash you see a ball of orange hair speed past you. 

"I CAN LOOK WHERE EVER I WANT KAGEYAMA. EVEN AT HER." 

Hinata turns his gaze away from Kageyama and turns his attention towards you. Before you can get a better look at this Hinata person, Kageyama extends his hand out in front of your face. 

"Don't you dare look at her." Kageyama grumbles under his breath. His words startle you, making you stare at his side profile. Kageyama's eyebrows have been knitted together frequently today. 

"You can't share the volleyball court and you can't even share your friend?" Hinata scoffs at him. 

"She's not just a friend you idiot." The dark stare Kageyama flashes at Hinata doesn't scare him. 

"Well, if she's not a friend I can only assume she's your girlfriend. Right, Kageyama?" An unfamiliar voice speaks from behind the two of you. You turn around and see the same upperclassmen from earlier with the silver hair. 

"She was patiently waiting for you earlier so you two should head off." The silver haired boy then turns his attention over to Hinata. "As for you Hinata, stop meddling in Kageyama's business. If you two are serious about joining the volleyball club you both need to get along." 

Hinata crosses his arms. 

"Once you two prove to us that you can work on the same team just find Daichi, Tanaka, or me. You can call me Suga." The silver haired boy flashes a smile at Kageyama. Kageyama turns his back to Suga and walks ahead.

Suga stares at Kageyama's back with a smile still on his face, his eyes flicking down towards you. Suga tilts his chin forward telling you to follow after Kageyama.

Excusing yourself again to Suga, you turn to follow Kageyama. 

The air around Kageyama seems more at ease as the two of you leave the others. Your eyes fall down to his empty hand. Biting your lower lip you take the chance to take hold of his hand. The sudden touch startles Kageyama out of his thoughts. 

Kageyama reflexively takes his hand back, scratching the back of his neck.

Feeling slight dejection in your chest you apologize to him. 

"I should've asked, I'm sorry." You murmur under your breath, lowering your head. 

"No, it's fine. I was just startled. I have a lot on my mind right now..." 

Nodding your head you listen to him. 

"You should head back to your homeroom. Lunch break is ending soon Y/L/N." Kageyama looks at you, his eyes distracted. "I'm going to look for that idiot Hinata." 

Feeling too dejected, you only nod your head, raising a hand up to say goodbye to him. Kageyama says his goodbyes and runs off towards the opposite direction to look for Hinata. 

Lowering your eyes to your hand you stare at your palm. 

_As a couple shouldn't it be natural to hold hands?_

You gently place your hand on the top of your head. The only affection Kageyama seems to show you is a stroke on your head.

_Is it selfish if you wanted more now?_

The two of you are now high schoolers. Daydreams of being more affectionate to Kageyama seems to be further out of reach. He still hasn't called you by your first name either.

Your heart aches a bit from these thoughts.

He said you're **not** just a friend but these feelings you're having says otherwise. 

Quietly you head back to your homeroom alone with your thoughts. 


	3. A first

The first day of high school comes to an end as the final bell rings. Your classmates quickly shuffle out of the room and towards their locker. A few stayed behind to chat among their friends before leaving. You sit idly at your desk with thoughts from earlier today still lurking. Your eyes clouded over as you blankly stare at the journal in front of you.

The sound of chatter starts to fade away when everyone starts to leave the classroom. 

The classroom covers in a soft pink and orange color from the sunset glow. Faint sounds of students walking down the hallway echo in your ear.

Lowering your head down on your journal, you stare across the room at the windows. The view outside of a couple holding hands reminds you of earlier this afternoon. 

A sigh escapes your lips. Your eyes drop down to your phone that sits besides your journal. 

_If you stayed any later your parents would only worry._

Slowly sitting up, you stuff your belongings into your backpack. Standing up, you throw your backpack on and exit the quiet classroom. The sound of your footsteps echo throughout the empty hallway. Your eyes downcast. 

Kageyama's probably too busy to walk you home. 

Your hand clenches onto your backpack straps as you start to feel lonely in such a huge school. 

Walking over to your locker you change from your indoor shoes into your outdoor shoes. You then exit out of the building and notice a familiar figure.

Kageyama walks beside Hinata with a scrunched up expression. Hinata loudly talking to him.

"You promise to work as team right?! You can't lie or else they won't let us join." Hinata asks Kageyama for the millionth time. 

Kageyama grumbles under his breath, clenching his teeth together and nodding his head slowly. The two unaware that you're watching them walk past.

"If you annoy me I'm going to destroy you." Kageyama says sharply to Hinata. "Now let's hurry and catch them before they leave for the day." 

The two jump into a dash towards the gymnasium. Your eyes follow Kageyama's back, a frown itching to form on your face. 

Lowering your eyes, you turn the other direction towards the school gates. Keeping your eyes down to avoid any gazes from other students.

Your plan to walk home with Kageyama is out of the question now. 

It seems like your relationship with Kageyama will continue the same way it was in middle school.

**Brief interactions.**

You start to question how you two became a couple. 

The sound of the heels of your shoes against the concrete echo in your ears.

Distracted from your thoughts, you brush past another student. Your eyes widening when you notice. Quickly you turn around to apologize. 

"It's fine. Just be careful next time." The unfamiliar but somewhat familiar voice makes you raise your head.

The upperclassmen from earlier with silver hair stands in front of you.

He notices you and forms a warm smile. "Ah, it's you from earlier today. Kageyama's girlfriend." 

The words 'Kageyama's girlfriend' tightens your chest. 

Unsure what to say, you simply nod your head. Suga looks around you and notices a lack of Kageyama.

"Are you two not walking home together? That's what couples do, right?" Suga asks curiously. 

Feeling a pang in your chest you shake your head side to side. "I saw him head towards the gymnasium. I don't want to bother him with something so small as walking me home." Your words barely a whisper as you feel your shoulders droop. 

"Ah..." Suga notices your soft tone. "The least he could do is walk you home and come back." Suga frowns when he looks at you. Pulling out his phone he quickly fidgets with it before turning his attention back to you. "Well, as an upperclassmen I should watch over my underclassmen." Suga walks over to you with a smile. "I'll walk you home if you'd like." 

Blinking, you stare at Suga's face. 

_He's willing to walk someone who he barely knows home?_

"Or should I ask Kageyama first before I walk you?" Suga realizes he might be over stepping his boundaries. Pulling out his phone again he starts to text someone but then pauses. "Sorry, I never caught your name." His hazel brown eyes stare at you gently, a smile sits on his face. 

"Y/L/N Y/N." 

"That's a pretty name." He smirks before returning his gaze back to his phone. 

After he sends a text his ringtone starts to play. 

"Ah, what's up Daichi?" 

Suga excuses himself from you as he talks to Daichi over the phone. 

"Oh? Okay, I'll wait with her until he comes. Thanks again Daichi I'll see you in a bit." Suga smiles over the phone and hangs up. His hand slides into his pockets and he turns his attention back to you. "Kageyama is coming over to walk you home. He shouldn't be long." 

The thought of Kageyama leaves you feeling conflicted inside. 

_Is he only coming because the thought of Suga walking you home irritated him? Or is he coming because he was told to?_

A frown etches onto your face and you force yourself to smile slightly. Suga silently watches you fight your inner thoughts, a look of worry forms on his face. 

"Y/L/N." The familiar deep voice reaches your ears. You turn to look at Kageyama who seems out of breath. A look of affliction paints on his face. "I'm sorry, I should've told you I was going back to the club before walking you home." 

You shake your head, feeling tears well up in your eyes. Kageyama notices your glossed over eyes and walks up to you. His brows knitting together as he looks at you. "Ah...you thought I forgot about you didn't you?" He speaks quietly to you. 

Biting your lip you stare at him with teary eyes. You quietly nod your head as a few tears break loose. 

Kageyama stiffens from seeing you tear up before him.

You've never dropped your guard in front of him because the last thing you want to do is put Kageyama in a tough spot. 

He's had his mind full of volleyball in middle school and has beaten himself up over the back stab of his teammates. He never felt more alone than being on the volleyball court by himself in front of a huge crowd. You can still remember the haunting face he had. Your emotions cannot compare to the despairing feeling he felt that day. 

Kageyama tries to find the right words but he finds himself standing there awkwardly. Quietly he extends his hand out, nervously he takes hold of your hand. His large callused hand wraps around your small one.

The sudden touch surprises you. Wiping your tears away, you look up at Kageyama. 

His cheeks a tint red. 

"So this is how your hand feels." Kageyama whispers to himself. "I'm sorry for rejecting you earlier this afternoon. I'm also sorry for not picking you up from class so we could go home together." Kageyama whispers under his breath shyly. "Let's go home before your parents worry." A gentle smile forms on Kageyama's face. 

You sniffle one last time, nodding your head. You then turn your attention over to Suga who is watching the two of you. "Thank you for keeping me company Suga." You raise a hand to say bye and Suga does the same.

A gentle grin flashes your way and he slides his hand back into his pocket before turning back to the direction of the gymnasium. 

Kageyama gives your hand a gentle squeeze and the two of you walk side by side. 

You stare down at your clasped hands.

Mentally you burn this image into your mind. 

𝒦𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓎𝒶𝓂𝒶 𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒.


	4. Assistant Manager?

A week disappears in a blink of an eye.

You wait patiently by Kageyama's homeroom after school. Students file out of the homeroom and the last one is Kageyama.

Your eyes downcast to your shoes. 

"Were you waiting long Y/L/N?" A voice speaks above you. You look up to meet Kageyama's dark blue eyes. Shaking your head with a smile you reply with a no. 

His eyes soften but he holds back a smile. "Are you sure you want to wait around while I practice? Did you not want to look at the other clubs?" Kageyama questions you as the two of you make your way over to the gymnasium. 

You shrug your shoulders and exhale. "None of the clubs are sticking out to me." 

Kageyama looks at you from the corner of his eye, intently listening to you. He opens his mouth for a second and quickly shuts them. He ponders on his words before clearing his throat to get your attention. 

"Kiyoko...she's looking for an assistant to train. She's going to graduate soon so the volleyball team will need a new manager." Kageyama turns to look over to you. "I think you'll make a great manager. From what I remember in middle school you're very organized and attentive to detail." His words are softer than usual.

His cheeks tint a shade pink as he talks about you.

Kageyama scratches the back of his neck shyly, turning his attention back forward. 

Your heart skips a beat when you hear Kageyama compliment you. Feeling shy you look away, tucking a stray hair behind your ear with flushed cheeks.

"You know about volleyball too so it shouldn't be too hard for you to be an assistant." Kageyama says as he opens the door to the gymnasium. "But only do it if you want to. I don't want you to feel forced to do so just because I said something." His large hand gently strokes the top of your head. "You can wait here, I'm going to get changed." 

Kageyama leaves you alone in the gymnasium.

You start to realize how big the gymnasium is as soon as you're alone.

"Oh?" A voice speaks from behind you, startling you. "Are you waiting for Kageyama?" 

You turn around to see Suga in his more casual gym attire.

A plain white tee and a pair of gym shorts. 

Nodding your head you look at Suga. You're starting to grow accustom to his voice and face. Your eyes briefly looking at the mole by his left eye. 

Suga smiles at you. "You look much happier today." 

You widen your eyes briefly from his words as you watch him walk past you. 

"Since you're here, can you help me put the volleyball net up? I would ask Kiyoko or one of the guys but it seems like they're running a little behind." 

"Sure." You follow after Suga who pulls out the volleyball net from one of the large bags on the side of the gym. He hands you one end and you backtrack to slowly pull the net out of the bag. The two of you walking over to the poles. 

You stand there awkwardly at one end when you realize you can't properly hang up your side of the net. Suga notices when the net droops the further down he looks. He lets out a soft chuckle under his breath. Fastening his side, he walks over to you.

"Sorry about that Y/L/N. Here, let me do it." He holds back his bubbling chuckles. Your fingers brush against each other slightly when Suga grabs the net from you.

You reflexively take your hand back from the sudden contact. 

"Ah, sorry." Suga apologizes with apologetic eyes.

You lower your head from the embarrassment of your overreaction. You then straighten yourself up when you hear the sound of many footsteps making their way inside. Feeling shy again you stiffen at the sight of many guys who've you only seen once. 

Suga looks at you from the corner of his eye. Seeing your stiffen body he stands beside you, making small talk. "Oh, look there's Kageyama. Took him long enough." 

You look up to see Suga who wears a gentle smile. 

"HEY. WHO'S THAT?!" An unfamiliar voice shouts in front of you. 

"IT'S A GIRL." The buzzcut haired boy shouts to the spiky brown haired boy.

You notice the dirty blonde streak in the short spiky haired boy.

The two animalistically dash towards your direction with a gleam in their eyes. 

"Stop." A gentle calm tone speaks to them.

The two stop midway.

A beautiful shoulder length black haired girl with glasses comes from behind them. 

_Is that person Kiyoko? The one Kageyama mentioned?_

Kiyoko sighs when she looks at the two boys. Your attention diverges when you see Kageyama run up to you. 

"I probably should've warned you about those two." He knits his brows in agitation. Kageyama's eyes then look over to Suga who stands beside you. Suga raises a hand up to say hi before leaving the two of you alone. 

"Suga and I put the net up for you guys." You point over to the net behind you with a smile. Kageyama stares at the net and nods his head. 

"Thank you Y/L/N." He gently places his hand on the top of your head, ruffling your hair slightly. "We're about to get some practice in. Don't wait around if you have to go home, okay?" 

You nod your head and leave the center of the gymnasium.

Kageyama rejoins with his teammates and Hinata is already getting on his nerves about tosses.

"Excuse me." The gentle voice from earlier catches your ear.

Your hand on the handle of the gymnasium door. Slowly you turn around to see the owner of the voice.

There stands the girl from earlier.

Seeing her up close you realize how smooth her face is.

You start to feel intimidated just by her looks. 

"Kageyama mentioned to me earlier how you're not in a club, Y/L/N. My name is Kiyoko Shimizu and I'm the manager of the Karasuno volleyball team." She speaks with elegance and confidence. "Kageyama speaks very highly of you and I'd like to extend an offer." 

Kiyoko hands you an application sheet with the tasks of an assistant manager. From what you can see, it seems you'll mostly observe during your training. 

"You don't have to answer right away, but I'd like you to think on it." Kiyoko forms a smile on her face.

Taking the paper from her, you nod your head.

Kiyoko turns around and walks back over to the boys as they start their practice game. 

Lowering the paper from your face you glance at Kageyama.

He wears the same serious gaze you fell in love with back in middle school.

The volleyball Kageyama is much different than the usual Kageyama. 

If you became an assistant manager you'll have more time to be with him. 

You silently watch Kageyama put his all in a serve. His hair swaying over his face as he takes a long jump. 

More time with Kageyama might blossom your relationship further.

Maybe this will push your relationship towards more affection.

You bite your lower lip and ponder on the idea. Without a chance to to regret your decisions you walk over to Kiyoko.

"Ah...Kiyoko?" Your voice nervous. 

Kiyoko lowers her notebook and turns her attention to you. 

Clenching your hands you lower your head and say, "I'd like to be your assistant."

The sound of the volleyball smacking back and forth is all you hear when you wait for Kiyoko's response. 

Anxious from the silence, you look up to Kiyoko. Kiyoko hides a wide smile from you, lowering her notebook down she takes your hand in hers. 

"Welcome to the team Y/L/N." 


	5. Memories of last year

"Kageyama, here you go." You hand Kageyama a new water bottle. He thanks you before chugging it down. Sweat dripping off of his face and onto the gymnasium waxed floor. 

You've been working besides Kageyama for a few days now and the team have been practicing relentlessly for their first practice game tomorrow morning. Whether it's a practice game or an official one, the teams seriousness does not waver. 

Kageyama hands you the empty bottle back. "Don't work too hard on my behalf." He says before ruffling your hair gently. "I'm going to practice a bit more before we head home." 

You nod your head as you watch him run towards the middle of the gym. 

"Y/L/N." A voice calls out to you, catching your attention. 

Takeda Ittetsu walks up to you with a few papers in his hand. He adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose and smiles at you. "Kiyoko told me you took these notes for me." Takeda stares at the paper in his hands before looking back over to you. "Thank you! It's really easy for me to understand. With the help from you, Kiyoko, and Ukai...I think I'll know more about volleyball in a short span than I ever will." 

Scratching the side of your head you smile shyly. "You're welcome sir." 

He says thank you once more before rejoining Ukai on the bench. The two begin discussing tomorrows practice training.

You notice Kiyoko slowly collecting her belongings and decide to help her.

"Are you heading home now Kiyoko?" You ask her as you hand her a bag that sits beside her backpack. Kiyoko takes the bag from you and nods her head with a smile.

"It's a big day for the guys tomorrow. I have a few things I need to settle before then so I'm leaving early." Kiyoko waves a goodbye to you and exits the gym. As if Tanaka and Nishinoya had a sixth sense for Kiyoko, the two stop their practice and call out after her. The two dashing out of the gym. 

Daichi sighs, shaking his head when he looks at the two disappear. "I guess we should head home now." He chuckles under his breath. 

"I'll stay here a little longer." Kageyama says besides Daichi, jumping up to smack the volleyball towards Hinata who's on the other side of the net. 

Daichi looks at Kageyama and Hinata. The two wearing a serious gaze at one another. 

"You two should get an early sleep. Don't wear yourselves out. Come on, let's clean this place up and grab something from the convenience store." Daichi starts to pick up stray volleyballs but neither Kageyama and Hinata listen to him. 

"Let's wrap it up you two." Coach Ukai shouts towards Kageyama and Hinata. You turn to look at the two and notice how focused Kageyama is.

_He seems to be in his own world._

Daichi and Ukai's words are not getting through to him. 

Hinata returns the serve from Kageyama and as the ball flies back towards Kageyama, an arm reaches out for the ball before Kageyama has a chance to return it.

"Hey now, you two shouldn't ignore your coach and your team captain." Suga smiles at the two with the volleyball he just blocked.

Kageyama glares at Suga briefly before snapping back to reality. 

"Ah, right." Kageyama says under his breath. He walks over to the net and starts to untie the net from the pole. Hinata picks up his feet and starts to help clean as well. 

You watch Kageyama intently. The glare he gave Suga reminds you of the same glare he stared at his teammates last year. A glare that haunted your dreams when they were on you when you attempted to stop him from further ruining what he had with his teammates. 

_If he even considered them as teammates back then._

You lower your eyes, anxiety tingling in your palms. Kageyama's much less tense and demanding as he was in middle school now. But the memories of his selfish self still cloud your memories. You were sure that was the end of your relationship when the two of you broke out into an argument over how antagonizing he was about volleyball.

Even now he spends every waking moment playing and thinking about volleyball. But the small times he's given you attention makes you stick around. 

Biting your lower lip you start to realize how pitiful you are.

_Is this what being in a relationship is about? A few head ruffles and small smiles here and there?_

You sigh under your breath, placing all the water bottles in a carrier. Kageyama never held your hand after the one day you broke into a few tears in front of him. He's kept his word about walking you home but nothings progressed further. Nothings changed in your relationship even though you've became the assistant manager. The only change is how often you can see him now. It was originally just before school, lunch, and your walks home. Now you get to watch him practice until dusk. But with all this time...his attention is still to volleyball.

_Why did Kageyama say yes to this relationship when you confessed your feelings to him?_

Picking up another bottle you stare at it in your hand. Eyes distant. Another bottle appears in front of yours making you snap out of your pity party. 

"Is everything okay?" The familiar deep voice of Kageyama calls out to you. Feeling a prickle in your chest you shake your head. Quickly you place yours and the bottle he extends to you in the carrier. 

"Done with practice?" You ask him with a forced smile. He stares at you silently and nods. 

"I just need to change out of these clothes and I'll be right out." Kageyama takes his leave and you watch him exit the gym first. You exhale and make your way outside to the water faucets to clean out the empty bottles.

One by one you wash them out and place them in a storage closet before waiting for Kageyama in the courtyard. 

Your eyes look up at the purple to orange sky. The night slowly making it's arrival. 

Alone with your thoughts you find yourself thinking about your relationship again. The day you and Kageyama became friends from an embarrassing hit to your face from his volleyball. 

He was practicing alone with an attitude. With all his pent up anger he didn't gauge his strength and slammed the ball too roughly against the brick wall. The volleyball bounced further away than he estimated and it made contact with your face when you were making your way to meet up with your friends. Kageyama apologized profusely and you were crying from the pain and the blood that came dripping out of your nose. He panicked and quickly lifted you off the ground, carrying you princess style towards the nurses office. With your nonexistent luck the nurse was out during her lunch break and Kageyama started to grow stressed from your tears and blood that now stained your uniform. Your hands couldn't soak up the amount of blood that kept on dripping. 

Kageyama grabbed a towel and gently removed your hand from your nose. His fingers gently wiping away the blood with the towel. You stared at him with a tear stained face and the worried expression he wore calmed you down.

After five minutes in silence, the blood from your nose stopped and so had your tears. Kageyama finally met your eyes and apologized again. He noticed the dried up tears and your ruined uniform and winced. 

He lowered his gaze and stood up to look for a paper and pen. Jotting down his phone number he offered it to you and told you to tell him the cost of the dry cleaning for your uniform. He quickly left the room after you took the paper from him. Most likely embarrassed about the whole situation.

From then on the two of you spotted each other in the hallways or courtyard. Surprisingly you never noticed him even though the two of you are in the same grade and frequent the same spots. You've only heard rumors about the King of the volleyball team but you were never interested to watch any of the games. You didn't join a club after school and spent most of your time at home. 

_But things changed when you now notice Kageyama._

He would text you randomly to ask if your nose wasn't broken and then those conversations changed to something more casual.

Eventually you would see him during lunch break instead of your friends in the courtyard. 

They never understood how you could spend time with such an arrogant guy. But you never saw that side of Kageyama. You never attended any of his games before. You saw him for him. 

Somewhere along the way you two developed feelings for one another. Kageyama still hadn't told you when his feelings started but you knew when yours did. Your heart wavered when you caught Kageyama glancing your way whenever he had the chance. He was probably just checking if you were okay but even then. You've never had a guy worry or care for you and that was enough reasoning for your heart to race. 

Things led to another and you two are in a relationship.

That's when you learned that dating Kageyama is mostly absent in the affection area. It was nothing like the stories you read or any of the dramas you watched at home alone while he was busy at practice. You noticed Kageyama had a hard time showing any physical touch and your brief accidental touches would make him freeze. Unsure if his reaction is from something traumatic, you didn't press further.

Eventually, you craved Kageyama's presence and attended a few of his games. That's when you saw the arrogant selfish Kageyama you heard so much about. He was completely different from the Kageyama you've been with. But something told you that the Kageyama out there isn't truly him. 

But as gullible as you are, you faced that volleyball Kageyama on his final game of the year. The game where his teammates left him alone on the court. 

He lashed out his anger on you for not being on his side when you stuck up for his teammates. You then retorted back with how little he's paid attention to you. You both stop your retorts after realizing how serious the argument went. You remember clearly how the two of you went weeks without speaking to each other until the day of graduation. 

Kageyama apologized to you at the school gates when you were preparing to leave. You were worried that you ruined your high school years by going to the same school as Kageyama and not the one your friends went to. But those worries disappeared when you heard Kageyama apologize. He told you all sorts of promises of being more affectionate and that he'd give you attention. 

_But here you are, still in the same situation you were in a year ago._

You stare at your lap with empty eyes. Releasing an exhale under your breath you close your eyes.

A gentle touch on your shoulder makes you flutter your eyes open.

"Are you falling asleep Y/L/N?" A worried tone speaks from above you. You look up to meet Suga's hazel eyes. He pulls his hand back and slides them in his pocket.

"Oh, Suga." You speak softly. "Is something the matter?" 

Suga forms a smile on his face and shakes his head. "I was just worried you fell asleep out here. It's not safe to fall asleep in public." 

You purse your lips and lower your eyes. "I wasn't falling asleep..." 

Suga raises an eyebrow when he reads your expression. Before he can say anything further, Kageyama walks over to the two of you.

"Sorry for the long wait Y/L/N. Hinata was being annoying again." Kageyama sighs, adjusting his backpack. He looks over at Suga and raises an eyebrow. "Did I interrupt you two?"

Suga shakes his head, "You should take Y/L/N home. She seems tired." Suga says while waving at us goodbye. "See you two tomorrow." He flashes the two of you a smile before turning around to look for Daichi and Asahi. 

Kageyama watches Suga leave and you stand up from your spot, walking over to Kageyama.

"Should we head home now?" You softly say to Kageyama. He turns his attention to you and nods his head. The two of you quietly make your way out of the school, your hands gripping to your backpack straps. 

The cool summer night breeze tickles your face as the two of you silently walk side by side. The only sounds coming from your footsteps against the concrete. 

Kageyama steals a glance of your side profile. Your eyes more distant than usual. Kageyama slows his footsteps and calls out your name. You halt your steps and turn to look at him. He purses his lips together, glancing away with light pink cheeks. "Can you stay out a bit longer? I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow and I don't want to be alone." Kageyama stammers out his words. His dark blue eyes slowly turn your way and he notices a shine come back to your eyes. 

You stare at him in disbelief. 

_Kageyama wants you to stay by his side a little longer?_

Your silence makes him feel more flustered. 

"If you want to go home you can do that too." Kageyama clenches his teeth and turns around to stop himself from further embarrassment.

"No, I'll stay with you." You finally answer him. His shoulders stiffen from your words. "Like I always have been." You murmur out. 

Kageyama slowly relaxes his shoulders and turns his attention back to you. He nods his head, extending his hand to you. Your eyes lower down to his large hand. Your chest tightening when you reach for it. Gently Kageyama takes hold of your hand and the two of you take the long way back to your house. Neither of you saying a word as the two of you try to calm your nerves for totally different reasons.


	6. Do you even love me?

The warmth from Kageyama's hand radiates in yours. Looking down, you stare at his large hand. Your steps slow down when you see the entrance of your house. 

Kageyama stops to look at you, his eyes staring at your distant expression. 

"Y/L/N?" His voice calls out to you but you continue to stare at your intertwined fingers. With your free hand you hold onto his wrist, slowly untangling your fingers from him. His callused palm now in front of you. Gently you graze your fingers over his palm making him stiffen. He purses his lips together with blushing cheeks. Your action surprising him. 

These hands of his that you've ached to hold onto has met more contact with a volleyball than you can ever dream of. 

Releasing a sigh under your breath, you let go of his wrist and lower your hands to your sides. 

"Sorry." Is all you whisper, picking up your feet and walking ahead. Kageyama silently stares at your small frame, confused at the event just seconds ago. His blue eyes downcast to his palm. He looks back up to see you shuffling through your backpack for the house key. Kageyama picks up his feet and jogs over to your side. 

"Y/L/N is something wrong?" Kageyama asks you with a serious tone. "You've been acting a bit strange after practice." 

Shaking your head you turned the key and cracked open the entrance slightly. "I'm just a little tired." You lie.

Kageyama silently looks at your side profile, biting his lower lip. He finds himself in a tough situation and doesn't seem to know the right words to say. You turn around to face him. "Kageyama." Extending your hand, you gently stroke the top of his head like he's always done to you. His eyes widening from the action. 

"Get some rest. You have your first practice match tomorrow." His silky black hair runs through your fingers and you pull your hand back. Feeling your chest tighten from your boldness you quickly turn around and head towards the front door. 

Your dad opens the door with a worried expression but he relaxes when he sees you. "You had me worried, Y/N. You're late." Your dad places his hand on your shoulder and steps aside to let you in. Before closing the door he looks across to see Kageyama standing still. 

"Thank you for walking her home again Kageyama!" Your dad shouts with a grin. Kageyama snaps back to reality and nods his head to your dad. Dad raises a hand up to wave goodbye to Kageyama before closing the door behind him. 

You make your way upstairs after greeting your mom who's in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Closing your bedroom door behind you, you slide down onto the wooden floor. Your heart racing when you stare at your hand. 

_Why did you suddenly do that?_

Shutting your eyes, you shake your head back and forth. Your face burning up from the smallest thing.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The next morning you and the entire Karasuno volleyball team take a bus heading towards Tokyo to have a practice match against Nekoma High. You've only been to Tokyo once a few years back with your parents during the holiday but things have changed since you've last been here. 

You can hear Hinata and Tanaka ogling at the sight before them. Their eyes glimmering at the busy scenery. 

The bus halts to a stop in front of Nekoma High's school entrance. Kiyoko and you step off after Coach Ukai and Takeda. The two of you make your way towards the back of the bus to grab the coolers containing the refreshments for the game. A tall shadow looms over the both of you and a voice calls out.

"Do you need a hand with that?" 

Turning around you tense from the sight of an awfully tall silver haired, green piercing eyed student.

Kiyoko calmly declines his offer to which he droops his shoulders to. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya catches sight of the tall student and neither hesitate to run on over with glaring eyes. 

"HEY! ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE A MOVE ON OUR MANAGER AND ASSISTANT MANAGER, TITAN!" Nishinoya barks at him. The silver haired student raises an eyebrow and stares Nishinoya down.

"What was that short stack?" The student grumbled. 

Before the two can go at it, Daichi and Suga pulls Nishinoya and Tanaka by the collar of their shirts. 

"Sorry about that." Daichi bows slightly before pulling Tanaka away. Suga bows as well and struggles to calm Nishinoya down.

Kiyoko giggles under her breath and looks over at you. "It's going to be a long day Y/L/N." Kiyoko heads off towards the others with one of the coolers in hand. You stare at the building in front of you. 

_Nekoma High._

"Hey, you're going to be left behind if you don't keep up." A deep voice calls out to you. Kageyama takes the cooler from your hand and walks ahead. Your thoughts trace back to last nights event, making your cheeks tint a shade pink. You jog up to Kageyama's side. Pressing your lips into a fine line, you stare at the concrete beneath your feet. 

"Good luck today Kageyama." Your voice soft. 

Kageyama replies just as softly to you, "Thanks." 

The two of you quietly walk beside each other, a few distances away from the team. 

After settling in the gym, the team starts to warm up before the start of the game. You stand off to the side of the gym besides Kiyoko. She doesn't waste any time pulling out her notebook and a pen in hand. Coach Ukai wastes no time chatting up Coach Nekomata while Takeda stands there trying to understand the volleyball lingo. 

Your nerves start to unravel when you see the two teams line up to face one another. Kiyoko notices from the corner of her eyes. "There's nothing to worry about Y/L/N. This isn't an official game." She calmly says while looking over at our team. Their expressions serious as ever. 

You're not worried about the team. Your worry is towards Kageyama. This is his first match against another team in awhile. 

_Will he snap back to the older him during this match?_

You've watched him practice with the others and he's held back his tongue a bit, but things could change in a matter of seconds. 

Kageyama is still not used to the others play styles. Not only that, Kageyama and Hinata continue to butt heads. 

The blow of the whistle starts the match and all you can do is silently cheer for them. The start of the match starts off shaky with the ball hitting the net and a few outs. 

Pursing your lips together you watch the team struggle to play as a whole. As more time passes things start to fall apart. Each player with their own unique personality causes their play styles to not come together. Daichi shouts a few encouraging words to calm his restless teammates. 

Kiyoko silently scribbles down notes in her notebook while you stand there restless. Karasuno has barely gained any points in the first set. Nekoma High seems to have things together as they score point after point.

Ukai calls for a timeout and Kiyoko and you quickly grab water bottles out of the cooler to hand out to the team members. 

When you walk over to Kageyama you instantly feel a dark aura around him. His brows knit together and his hands are in tight fists. Extending your hand you offer him a water bottle. "Kageyama." You call out his name but he doesn't acknowledge you. His shoulders shake as he grumbles under his breath. He mumbles something incoherent to your ears before walking away. Slowly you lower your hand to your side. Your lips purse together and you're unable to find the correct words to say to him. If you were to become a manager, you'd have to find the right words to encourage your team. Your hand tightly grips onto the water bottle as you retreat back to the sideline. 

The sound of the whistle resumes the game which lead to a defeat in the first set. The second set starts up and the result is no different.

**Karasuno High are still struggling to work together.**

You notice the anger Kageyama wears on his face as he eyes the volleyball in the air. The ball whizzing past him from a failed block. The sound of the ball hitting the ground snaps something in Kageyama when he glares at Tsukishima. 

The referee blows on the whistle to announce the end of the game with Nekoma High winning.

A nerve snaps in Kageyama when he lunges at Tsukishima. "WHY DIDN'T YOU MOVE QUICKER TO BLOCK THE BALL?!" Kageyama shouts.

Tsukishima shows no emotion as he looks to the side. "Why should I overexert myself to a losing game?" 

The outbreak catches everyone's attention including yours. You stand there motionless as you watch Kageyama unravel before your eyes. Everyone's just as motionless as you are. His beastly glare at Tsukishima floods back past memories. Your body decides to move on its own before you realize what you're getting yourself into. 

"KAGEYAMA!" Your voice shrieks from across the gym. Your legs quickly running over to the two. "Kageyama let him go." Your words come out shaky as you try to pry his fingers off of Tsukishima. 

Tsukishima turns his gaze to you, surprised that you've put yourself in between the two. Kageyama not clearly thinking shoves you forcefully away making you lose your footing. Your body falls onto your side as your elbow hits the ground first. A sharp pain shoots up your arm making you wince. 

Coach Ukai runs over to pull Kageyama off of Tsukishima while Daichi runs over to Tsukishima.

A gentle hand touches the palm of your back, sitting you up. "Y/L/N are you alright? You shouldn't have put yourself between those two." Suga wears a worried expression on his face. His brows knitting together as he stares at your pained face. 

Kageyama pulls himself away from Ukai and dashes out of the gymnasium. Not wanting Kageyama to get away, you force yourself up, the pain in your elbow stinging still. 

"Y/L/N, I think we need to check your arm. You fell pretty hard on your elbow." Suga says worriedly as he helps you stand up. 

_The last thing on your mind right now is your elbow._

Without saying a word you dash out of the gym looking for Kageyama. Kageyama didn't run far when you spot him in front of the school gates of Nekoma High. Pressing your lips together, you steady yourself for whatever Kageyama tries to say to you. A dark looming aura radiates off of him as he stands there. 

"Kageyama." You call out his name again. He doesn't turn around to acknowledge you so you decide to face him head on. 

"Leave me alone." His dark blue eyes glare at you with a piercing gaze. 

"No. I won't." You sternly say to him. "You shouldn't treat your teammates like that." 

Kageyama fumes under his breath at your words, his fists shaking. "Who are you to tell me that. You're not a my manager, you're just an assistant." 

You stare at him in disbelief. His words may be true but still. 

"Then hear me as your girlfriend." You try to hide your obvious pained expression from him with a glare. 

"A girlfriend should be on their boyfriends side." Kageyama spouts out. "You're doing the exact same thing as you did last year. Protecting my teammates over me."

"You're in the wrong Kageyama!" You shout at his delusional words. "All you can think about is how to make others work under your command. That's not how you work as a team." 

"I'm not going to take that from you Y/L/N! You're not the one on the court fighting to stay in the game. You're just watching from the sidelines. How would you understand?!" Kageyama shouts loudly. 

Biting your lower lip, you're not willing to back down from him. "You're right. I don't understand." Your body trembles from your built up emotions. "But I can judge what's right and wrong from observing." 

"Apparently you can't. You've misjudged this relationship as a right thing." Kageyama speaks harshly under his breath, those dark blue eyes shadowed with anger at you. 

You're at a loss of words from his retort. The fake confidence you've held up in front of him shatters instantly. His words breaking your heart into a million pieces. Kageyama turns his heel towards the bus, brushing past you. With what little strength you have left you grab onto his wrist, tugging him back as forcefully as you possibly can. 

"Do you even love me Kageyama?" Your chest aches as you ask him what's been on your mind these past few weeks. Kageyama rips his arm away from your grasp, glaring straight into your e/c eyes. 

"What do you think Y/L/N?" His words hurt you as he walks over to the bus. 

Your eyes stare at nothing when you lower your hand to your side weakly. Your vision starts to blur from the tears welling up in your eyes. You feel like a ton of bricks are weighing you down as you use the last bit of your strength to keep yourself upright. Anxiety prickling up and down your entire body. You find yourself feeling numb and hollow. This feeling hurts much worse than it did from your first argument with Kageyama. 

The summer evening breeze blows your hair gently behind your back as your mind empties itself. Faint sounds of footsteps comes running over to you and you feel your legs go limp. Slowly you squat down in your spot. Your name is being called out to you but it sounds like it's far away. Two firm hands squeeze your shoulders. A familiar silver colored hair squats in front of you. 

"Y/L/N, hey. Hey, where are you hurting?" Suga's voice sounds distant even though he's right in front of you. "Hey, stop crying." Suga raises his voice slightly.

_Crying? When did you start crying?_

Unaware of your own emotions, your tears seem to have broken through without your acknowledgement. Your senses start to rush back to you rapidly and you find yourself starting to panic at the entire situation. 

**Your first heartbreak with the first guy you've fallen in love with.**

You can't seem to wrap your mind around the situation between you and Kageyama. 

_Did he subtly break up your relationship with his answer?_

Suga watches your emotions quickly change before his eyes. Your breathing starting to quicken as you feel a sharp pain in your chest again. Suga whispers a sorry before squeezing your shoulders tightly to distract your mind. You then focus on the pain from his squeeze, wincing from his strength. You finally look Suga in the eyes with your mind somewhat stable. 

"Sugawara...?" You quietly say his name. 

"Hey." Suga smiles relieved that you're no longer in a daze. "We need to go get your arm checked. I'm sure you haven't realized it yet from the adrenaline but your elbow is starting to swell up." Suga gingerly lifts up your arm to show you your elbow. The smallest touch to your arm shoots up a pain that you weren't aware of. Suga releases his hold on your arm, placing it gently back to your side. He then extends his hand to top of your head, his fingers gently stroke your hair. 

"I'm not letting you run off like Kageyama. Listen to your upperclassman." Suga says in the sweetest voice, flashing you a kind smile.

His small gesture makes you cry again. 

The only thing you can think about is the way Kageyama would stroke your head...and the possibility that he never will again. 


	7. As a friend

"Looks like there was no serious damage done. Just keep the ice pack on your elbow until the swelling goes down." The nurse says to you with a small smile. You nod your head and thank her, your hand gently resting the ice pack on your elbow. Suga relaxes his shoulders and exhales a deep breath. 

"That's a relief." Suga mumbles under his breath, ruffling his hair. 

You lower your head and apologize to Suga. "Sorry about earlier." You whisper. 

Suga turns to look at you, his eyes gently staring. "You were just thinking about Kageyama and Tsukishima. There's no reason to apologize for that." Suga softly places his hand on your head which makes you stiffen. He notices your stiffness and pulls his hand away. "We should get going though. The others have already left. Coach Nekomata will drop us off at a train station." Suga stands up and walks over to the sliding door. You follow after him. Quietly you trail a few steps behind Suga. Your mind still trying to process the events that lead up to where you are now.

Suga slows his steps so he matches yours, his eyes gaze at your forlorn expression. Coach Nekomata notices you two from the entrance and waves you two over. 

"What did the nurse say?" Coach Nekomata asks. Suga answers for you when you look up with a lost expression. "Your name is Y/L/N Y/N, right? Assistant manager?" Coach Nekomata turns to look you in the eye. You nod your head at his question. "I like you. You're a wild card for sure." He chuckles under his breath, entering the driver seat. You arch an eyebrow from his words. 

"Looks like Coach Nekomata likes you." Suga chuckles beside you, opening the backseat door for you to step in. You inch inside the car and Suga enters behind you. The two of you sitting closely to one another. Noticing the closeness, you inch a bit to your left to give Suga space. He notices your small movement.

"Do I smell?" Suga lifts his arm up to smell himself as a joke to lighten your mood. You shake your head side to side furiously. Not wanting him to interpret your actions as such.

"I just want to respect your personal space." You murmur under your breath. 

Suga's lips twitch into a smile from your kind thought. He turns away to hide his foolish smile. "You're very observant and considerate to others." Suga says, looking out the window. "What you did today was the right thing." The word right and wrong sends a stinging pain to your chest. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop during your spout with Kageyama but...everything you said to him was correct." Suga speaks much softer to you, not wanting Coach Nekomata to hear. Suga turns his gaze away from the window and focuses his attention on you. 

You feel his eyes on you, making you turn to look at him. 

"I'm sorry Kageyama couldn't see it from your perspective." Suga's soft voice feels like a band-aid covering your shattered heart. "I hope he realizes how much he's hurt you today." 

You see your reflection in Suga's gentle hazel eyes. Tears slowly forming again when you think about Kageyama and how piercing his eyes were compared to Suga's. Biting your lower lip you look away as a few tears trickle down your face. The car comes to a halt when Coach Nekomata drops the two of you off at the entrance of the train station. He gives you two directions of which train to take back to the Miyagi Prefecture before pulling away. Suga tells you to wait where you are as he gets two tickets for you both. You stand still as others quickly move past you. Everyone starts to become a blur as you stare at nothing specific. The only thing you can clearly feel is the ice pack on your elbow. The bag that once started off as ice starts to melt into water.

Suga comes back to your side with two tickets. "Ready to go Y/L/N?" Suga says with a smile on his face. You nod your head and the two of you follow a few signs towards the post of your train. 

The two of you don't have to wait long when you see a train in the distance. 

"It'll take us roughly two hours until we get back so I suggest you take a nap. I'll wake you up when we get there." Suga says to you as the two of you board the train. Suga gives you the window seat as he settles in the seat beside you. An arm rest separating the two of you. 

The slight peaks of orange appears in the beautiful blue sky. It'll be sunset by the time you make it back to Miyagi. Listening to Suga's request, you relax in your seat. Closing your eyes you try to find some sort of escape from your thoughts. 

Suga eyes Y/L/N from the corner of his eyes, a small smile forms on his face when he sees her relaxing. Pulling out his phone he sends a text message to the others that the two are on their way back. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

A cold sensation startles you awake but you quickly calm down when you see Suga silently asleep, his hand holds onto your ice pack against your elbow for you. You can't remember when you've abandoned it. 

Feeling ashamed that Suga has been taking care of you, you carefully take the melted ice pack from his hold. The sunset glow filters through the train from the windows. It makes a beautiful scenery before you. Nervously you gently grab Suga's wrist, placing his hand back to his lap. You then look out towards the window to see a much more familiar town. The screen above your seat giving you a status of arrival to Miyagi is in five minutes. Looking over to Suga you debate whether or not to wake him up now. Knitting your eyebrows together, you gently shake his right shoulder. Suga's head droops to the side, resting on your hand. Your eyes widen from surprise and your breath hitches. 

You're surprised by how soft his skin is as it rests against your hand. Feeling more anxious as the time starts to tick, you call out to him with a squeaky tone. "Sugawara, it's time to get up." 

You shake him gently again from your inner panic. His hair falls over his eyes and he sways gently from the speed of the train. You find yourself observing Suga in a more detailed way. From the mole by his left eye to the way his silver hair laid on his head.

The upperclassman that spotted you the day Kageyama had his application rejected.

The same upperclassman that was willing to walk you home because he didn't want you go alone. 

His kindness makes your chest tighten. As you're distracted by your own thoughts, the train comes to a halt. The melody of arrival plays throughout the train which wakes Suga up. He whips his head up with wide eyes. 

"Ah! When did I fall asleep?!" He rubs his eyes and you quickly take advantage of the moment to take your hand back from his shoulder. Suga turns to look at you and notices you're awake before him. 

"We should get going." You whisper, sitting up from your seat. Suga nods his head and stands up as well. The two of you exit the train after the many other passengers. Suga yawns and stretches his arms up towards the sky when the two of you step out. You raise your arm slightly but soon stop when you feel an ache. You wince from the slight pain which worries Suga. 

"Let's get you home so you can rest up properly." Suga says towards you. 

"You don't have to trouble yourself anymore today Suga. I can walk home from here." You raise your hand up to wave goodbye. Quickly you turn your heel to walk away from him. You've caused Suga enough inconvenience today. He didn't have to stay behind to help you but he did and that made you feel guilty enough. Even if he says it's his responsibility as an upperclassman. 

Suga being tall with long legs catches up to you easily. "I can't let you walk home alone. As your upper-" You cut him off before he finishes his sentence. "Even if you're my upperclassman, you don't have to do these things if you don't want to." You turn around to look at Suga, staring up at him. "I don't want you to feel obligated to do these things because I'm your underclassman."

Suga presses his lips together when he looks at you. "Then how about I walk you home as a friend? Friends walk each other home all the time." Expecting Suga to give up, his response surprises you. 

"As a friend?" You repeat his words back to him.

The corner of Suga's lips turn upwards into a smile. "As a friend." 

You feel at a loss for words when you look at Suga. 

"Unless you don't want me as a friend." Suga scratches the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't consider that as an option." He dryly laughs.

Pursing your lips together you look down at your feet. Turning around you speak softly for only him to hear. "It's okay then if you're walking me home as a friend." You walk a few steps ahead of Suga. 

Suga smiles brightly from Y/L/N's words when he watches her shyly walk away from him. He jogs up to her side and the two of them make their way to Y/L/N's house.


	8. Heart shattering

The next morning you sit down with your parents for breakfast before heading off to school. You silently take a bite of the toasted bagel. Your parents noticing your lack of an appetite. Your mother stares at your elbow that's now covered with a purple bruise. The pain has subsided but any small touch to your elbow still gives you an uncomfortable pain. 

"Did something happen in yesterdays volleyball game?" Your mother is the first to speak up. Dad sits there nibbling on his lip, unsure if he can word things gently. You lower your bagel down onto the plate, gently pushing the scrambled eggs around your plate with your fork. 

"I can't push myself to talk about it yet. Sorry mom." Your response makes her frown with knit eyebrows. 

Dad bites his tongue and blurts out a question. "Who was that boy that walked you home? It wasn't Kageyama." Hearing Kageyama's name makes you stiffen. Your expression turning grim. You can hear your mom step on your dads foot underneath the table. "Nevermind, you don't have to answer if you don't want to honey." Dad quickly stammers over his words when he sees you get up. You walk over to the foyer and slide your shoes on, thanking them for breakfast and stepping out of the house. 

Your eyes glance over to the gate entrance to your house and it's no surprise you don't see Kageyama waiting there. Fluttering your eyelashes to avoid the incoming tears, you bite your lower lip. You feel your palms litter with anxiety. 

_How are you going to face him today?_

Clenching to the straps of your backpack you walk over to the gate, unlocking it and then locking it behind you. The last time you walked yourself to school was the first day you became a first year at Karasuno High. It's been almost two months since then. Your eyes downcast to your feet while you wait to cross the street. You can hear a few students approaching you from behind. Their tones cheerful as they speak to one another. The sound of the crosswalk beeps notify you that it's safe to cross now. Your steps are slow as you follow behind the other students. You overhear a few students talk about yesterdays volleyball game. 

"Did you hear? Apparently two of the members in the club had a fight." 

"Really? Who?"

"I'm not sure. I couldn't catch their names from the other girls." 

You purse your lips together from their gossip. 

"Wait, isn't that one of the members? He seems a bit more angry than usual today." 

Their words peek your attention and you follow their line of sight. You freeze in your spot when you see Kageyama pass the school gates, heading towards a vending machine. 

"I wonder if he was the one in the fight." The girls chatter among each other out of your ear shot.

"Hey, do you have a habit of being in the way." A voice calls out to you from behind. 

"T-Tsukki you can't talk to her like that." Yamaguchi stammers out.

Lowering your head you whisper an apology under your breath, not turning around to look at Tsukishima. You force yourself past the school gates avoiding Kageyama's gaze as best as you can. 

"..." Tsukishima watches you purposely take the longer route to your homeroom. "I was expecting her to apologize to me with her shy expression like she always did." 

Yamaguchi exhales under his breath, shaking his head. 

"Looks like there was trouble in paradise." Tsukishima mumbles under his breath, walking ahead of Yamaguchi. 

In your attempts to avoid Kageyama, you find yourself lost in the school building. There seems to be only one way in and out to the first year wing and you've somehow went to the third year hallway. A few students look your way with curiosity. You lower your gaze to avoid their eyes, walking closely to the walls. 

"Y/L/N?" A familiar calming voice meets your ears. Kiyoko stands there in front of you with an eyebrow raised. "What are you doing here?" You relax at the sight of her. "Kiyoko, can you please tell me how to get to the first year hall?" You squeak out your words feeling incredibly embarrassed. Kiyoko doesn't make fun of you as she leads you to the correct hallway. After the long detour, you're back to the first year section of the school. Kiyoko says her goodbyes, dropping you off at the lockers. 

Relaxing your stiff shoulders, you sigh. Unaware that you're standing in the middle of the walkway, someone brushes their arm against your bruised elbow. You wince at the pain, quickly pulling your arm to your chest. Your eyes look up to see the very person you were trying to avoid. Kageyama turns around and notices the person he's bump into is you. Instead of apologizing he just glares at you. 

"Watch where you're going." He grumbles under his breath. Pursing your lips, you lower your head. 

"Now that's no way to talk to your girlfriend." Someone retorts towards Kageyama. His eyes moving away from you and towards the person. He clenches his teeth when he sees Tsukishima.

"Mind your own business." Kageyama glares at Tsukishima with clenched teeth. "Who says she's even my girlfriend." Kageyama clicks his tongue before turning around to head towards his homeroom. 

Yours and Tsukishima's eyes widen from his cold tone. The other students around the vicinity clearly heard what Kageyama said as they all gasp and mumble. Your body starts to tremble uncontrollably as anxiety creeps into your palms. Your heart forms another wound as it shatters again. With a loss for words and your mind running endlessly, you force your weak legs to run from your spot. 

Tsukishima grows angry at Kageyama's behavior and calls out to him. "You're not any better off the court than you are on it Kageyama. You just think about yourself and no one else." Tsukishima turns around to chase after Y/L/N. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You didn't have any specific location in mind when you ran. The tears blurring your vision anyway. Weakly, you sit down in the grass, pulling your knees up to your chest. Resting your head on your knees, you sob uncontrollably. The salty tears slide down your cheeks to your lips and skirt. 

Kageyama's words ring in your ears and every time you replay the scene in your mind your chest tightens and aches. 

_So he did break up with you yesterday. He clarified it today._

You want to pretend that he's just speaking out of anger and that the two of you are just having a really horrible fight but you can only be delusional for so long. Your dreams of having a high school relationship with your first love is stolen out of your grasp because you decided to not take his side. 

_Were you in the wrong?_

Your hands tightly clench the side of your legs. You dig your nails into your legs attempting to break skin to distract your mind from your heartache with physical pain. Slowly, your sobbing slows and so does your hectic thoughts. The only thing you know clearly now is how lonely you are at this moment. Lowering your knees from your chest, you stare at the small cuts on your legs from your nails. The twinkle in your eyes long gone and replaced with hollowness. You stare at your surroundings, noticing that you've somehow ran all the way to the top of the hill that displays the track field in front of you. From a distance you notice two students frantically running around. 

"Sugawara, up there." Tsukishima gasps for air when he notices Y/L/N at the top of the hill. Suga hovers his hand above his eyes blocking the sun to see Y/L/N sitting in the far distance. Suga nods his head and inhales sharply. "I'll go talk to her. Make sure you get back to class." Tsukishima nods his head, wiping the sweat off his forehead. 

The student you see from afar makes their way up to you, their long legs easily helping them run up the steep hill. As they reach closer, you could recognize who it is that's approaching you. Your eyes widen in disbelief when Suga stands above you. He pants for air as a few strands of his silver hair stick to his face from his sweat. "Daichi can kiss my butt if he expects me to run laps for today's practice." Suga mumbles under his breath. He recollects himself before squatting in front of you. His sharp eyes notice your legs first before meeting the empty shells that you call your eyes. 

Suga ponders on the words he should say to Y/L/N but nothing comes to mind when he sees how heartbroken she looks.

Her eyes, cheeks, and nose completely red.

_She's much more fragile now than she was yesterday._

Suga extends a hand to you. "If you need to let your frustrations out you can squeeze my hand. I can handle the pain." His eyes return to the small imprints on your legs where your fingers dug into your skin. The blood slowly drying up from the summer sun. You're surprised at yourself when tears trickle down your face. You thought you cried your entire heart out but Suga's kindness breaks you. Your eyes silently stare at his extended hand. Slowly, you extend your trembling hand towards his, only to stop short when you stare at his own callused hand.

You're reminded of Kageyama again and you hate yourself for it. 

Carefully Suga extends his hand further, now taking hold of your fragile trembling hand. The warmth from his hand reminds you that you're not alone now. You gently squeeze his hand wanting to feel anything but this numbness that's consuming you slowly. 

Suga stays by your side for who knows how long as you silently cried out. Not one second did Suga release his hand from you.


	9. Kindness and Anger

After crying your entire heart out for the second time today, you slowly release Suga's hand. He stares at you with gentle eyes, smiling when he knows you are more calm now. The sound of Suga's voice makes you aware of how patient he was during you're loud sobbing. Not once did he pander you with questions about your reasoning of crying. "Should I walk you to class? Second period should start in a bit." Suga glances at his phone. "Oh." Suga turns to you, handing his phone over. "We should exchange numbers. So the next time you decide to run away, I'd at least get to you quicker." Suga grins from ear to ear. 

You lower your eyes ashamed by his statement. It does seem like you're starting to run away from problems a lot now. Taking his phone, you punch in your number. Rummaging your backpack, you take out your phone and hand it to him. 

"Here you go." Suga says with a smile, his hand extending your phone back to you. You take your phone from him and stare at the screen. 

Sugawara Kōshi

Suga stands himself up, patting the grass off of his pants. You do the same, sliding your backpack back on your shoulders before getting up. Suga glances over at your elbow and sees that a bruise has formed since yesterday. "Hey, I think you should go straight home after school today. I'll tell Kiyoko." Suga slides his hands in his pockets, the two of you slowly walking down the hill. 

Pressing your lips together, you wonder if you should stay in the volleyball team. You originally joined to spend more time with Kageyama. Your feet slowly comes to a stop, your eyes looking at Suga's back. "I don't think I should go back to the volleyball team." You weakly say to Suga. 

Suga is taken aback from your words. He turns around with a surprised expression. "Hey, don't say stuff like that. Kiyoko has been so talkative since you've arrived. She praises you a lot." Suga walks over to you, his shadow hovers over your small frame. "Don't let Kageyama stop you from doing things." 

You nibble your bottom lip, looking to the side. "I only joined to be with him." You feel your heart slowly crack again. Suga falters a bit, unsure what to say now. He lowers his voice when he speaks to you. "How about you take a break? Think things over." You look up to Suga who wears a pleading expression. "I don't want you to think you've wasted your time with the team because of one idiot. Those other first years need a manager that knows when she has to step in to protect them." You widen your eyes from his words. 

"Tsukishima was the reason I found you. He looked panicked when he lost sight of you. He feels like he's at fault for what you're going through." Suga lowers his head, a small smile on his face. "He may not directly thank you for what you did because he's just like that. But I could tell you without a doubt that your actions touched him. So don't say something silly like that again Y/L/N." Suga's hazel eyes focus on you. His eyes warm and gentle. "Now let's hurry back to our classes. I'm afraid Mr. Takeda can only make up a few excuses for our absence to our teachers." 

Suga starts to run ahead and you try to keep up with him. The cool air filling your lungs makes you feel a bit of relief.

Suga's words slowly patches your aching heart.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Oh? Will she be okay?" 

Suga tells Kiyoko that Y/L/N will be taking a break from her duties for a while. The two setting up the net in the middle of the gym. Suga presses his lips together and glances down, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not too sure." He answers honestly. "I suggested walking her home but she told me to not worry."

"You're really kind to her Suga." Kiyoko smiles when she looks at Suga talk about Y/L/N. He widens his eyes, cheeks turning pink. "Well, I'm just doing what an upperclassman should do." Kiyoko stares at Suga intensely. "Is that so?"

Suga grows flustered and turns around, pretending to fiddle with the strings of the net. "Maybe I am being overly sincere." His hand grips onto the net tightly. "I just--seeing her like that makes me want to help her." 

"You're not pitying her are you Suga?" Kiyoko busies herself with her notebook. Suga turns around quickly to look at Kiyoko. "No, of course not. If Y/L/N thinks I'm doing this because I pity her, that would just hurt her more." He runs his fingers through his silver hair. "I guess I just wished I had someone like her around. I admire how supportive she is towards Kageyama." 

"Oh, that's right. I've never seen you date anyone." Kiyoko says nonchalantly. Suga feels an invisible punch to his stomach when he groans. "But does this mean you're selfishly putting yourself in front of Y/L/N so you can experience what Kageyama is receiving?" Suga is taken aback from Kiyoko's words. He didn't realize that his actions may seem like that. The conversation ends when the arrival of the other team members file into the gym. 

Suga watches Kageyama and Tsukishima glance out of the corner of their eyes toward the gym sidelines. They notice the lack of Y/L/N's presence. The two wearing opposite expressions.

A glare and a distant look. 

Coach Ukai claps his hands together, calling out to the team to form a huddle. 

"First thing that I need to say is that our teamwork is completely garbage." Coach Ukai doesn't hold back on the truth as a few grunts come from the group. "We all excel in our own special skill but that means nothing if we can't pair our skills together as one. So I've decided today that you're not going to break off and practice two on two." Coach Ukai eyes everyone in the huddle. "You're going to practice up against each other in a practice game. Suga you're the setter for the left team and Kageyama will be for the right." Coach Ukai pulls one person each to the left and right, dividing the team up. 

Kageyama stands there with his arms crossed, glaring through Suga. With the teams divided, Suga extends his hand to Kageyama. "Let's have some fun." Suga's eyes doesn't waver away from Kageyama's piercing gaze. Kageyama silently shakes Suga's hand before turning around to walk over to his side of the court. 

"So this is the idea you talked about yesterday, Ukai?" Takeda stares at the team in front of him. Coach Ukai purposely divided the team between seniority. Suga's team containing more of the previous volleyball team members. While Kageyama's side are mostly first years and a few of the second years. 

"We're going to see the difference between a fresh team compared to a team that's worked at least a year to two years together." 

Kiyoko adjusts her glasses, her hand intensely scribbling in her book. Takeda chuckles at her eagerness. The three silently watching the game. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Half an hour goes by as the game between Suga and Kageyama are nearing their second set. Suga's team pulling ahead in points compared to Kageyama. Kageyama's team seems to struggle to work together with the team members clashing against their setter. "Hinata you better get this." Kageyama shouts, tossing the ball behind him. Hinata jumps quickly off the court, his eyes focusing on the ball. Hinata then loses concentration when he realizes that he's taken the leap a bit too early. With a loud thud, the volleyball falls on their side of the net. 

In a flash Hinata lowers his back, feeling the dark aura around Kageyama. "Sorry!" Hinata shouts to the floor. The opposite side screams in excitement as they've won the first set. Kageyama's heavy footsteps reaches over to Hinata, his hand gripping onto the back of Hinata's shirt. 

"Why did you make that mistake?!" Kageyama shouts at Hinata. 

"I said I'm sorry Kageyama! I was too excited and jumped a bit too early." 

"Hey, yelling at your teammates won't help with the moral." Suga calls out to Kageyama on the other side of the net. Suga's words irritates him with a huge passion. Kageyama releases his grip on Hinata's shirt and makes his way over to Suga. Kageyama stands in front of the net, glaring at Suga with clench teeth. "You're starting to sound like Y/L/N." Suga doesn't say a word when he looks at Kageyama. "I noticed you're getting friendly with her all of a sudden. Are you trying to make moves on her in front of me?" Kageyama grumbles through clench teeth. "Are you trying to take her away from me because I've stolen your position in the team?" 

Kageyama's last sentence sparks a fire under Suga. Suga knits his brows together, clearly aggravated. "I wouldn't stoop that low Kageyama. Besides she's no longer yours. You've clearly told her that this morning." The two glare at one another causing a tense atmosphere in the gym. Neither putting their hands on each other. 

Kageyama tightens his fist when he glares at Suga's expression. 

Coach Ukai blows his whistle, calling out for the second set to start. The atmosphere from Suga is apparent when his serves become more fierce. The volleyball begins to be a threat on Kageyama's end when the others are having a hard time keeping it from falling to the ground. 

"Get your shit together Kageyama." Tsukishima coldly says beside him. "Suga is pulling out all of his skills now." Tsukishima returns the ball, eyes sharp. Kageyama stares at Suga's intense focus. Not wanting to feel swayed by Suga's power, Kageyama plays just as fierce. 

The two of them angrily fight against one another through a game of volleyball.


	10. Tell me the truth Kageyama

You flip a page in your history book trying to look for the answer to your homework assignment. The sunset streams through the window in front of you as you listen to music from your earphones. Your right hand holds onto a pen, scribbling down a few words. A beep rings from your cellphone and a text notification flashes on the screen. Lowering your pen you reach over to your cellphone. 

**Two messages: Sugawara Kōshi**

Your fingers hover over the keyboard as you start to reply to Suga. But before you hit send, your dad calls out to you from downstairs. "Y/N! Someones at the door for you." 

Raising an eyebrow, you take your earphones off and slide your feet into your slippers. Exiting your bedroom you walk downstairs. Dad wears a suspicious expression when you walk past him to answer the front door. Upon opening the door, the person who stands there makes you freeze. Kageyama stands in front of you out of breath. His black hair clings onto his sweaty face and his gym clothes are also soiled with sweat. Your heart aches when you look at him and you're in no state to face him right now. Lowering your eyes you step back to close the door in front of him. 

"Y/N WAIT!" Kageyama shouts to you. You freeze when you hear Kageyama call you by your first name. "Wait..." His voice sounds strained when he looks at you from the crack of your door. "Can we talk?" Your hand releases from the door knob. A sense of anxiety runs through your body and you find yourself unable to answer him. If he plans to hurt you more with his words, you're going to fall apart right where you stand. "Please." Kageyama whispers. The pain in his voice pulls your heart strings. Biting your lower lip you open the door again to reveal yourself to him. 

Your eyes look up to meet his dark blue ones. Digging your nails into your palm you speak up. "If you're here to hurt me even more, I'll go back inside." Your words tremble as you say them aloud. Kageyama stares at you in silence. He notices how swollen Y/L/N's eyes are and the pain in her voice when she speaks to him.

Your eyes briefly avoid his the longer he stares at you. "Can you make it quick? I have homework to do." You murmur under your breath. Kageyama lowers his head, his breathing now calm. 

"I was wrong." Kageyama clenches his teeth as his thoughts swirls around him. He struggles to find the correct words to say to you. His constant angry attitude makes him say ridiculously dumb things. "I was wrong to yell at you and treat you the way I did yesterday and today." Kageyama knits his brows together when he replays the events from yesterday. He remembers how awful he was to shove Y/L/N away. He also added more fuel to the flames by embarrassing her this morning in front of other students. Clicking his tongue he grows angry at himself. Y/L/N's been nothing short of sweet and patient with him since the very beginning. The good memories of the two seeming to flood back to him. But of course he didn't remember those moments when he grew angry or too focused on himself. 

Your silence gives him anxiety when he looks over to you. Your expression already numb to his words. "Usually anger pulls out the truth." Your words stab Kageyama in the chest. "How do I know that you actually feel wrong about your actions, Kageyama." Kageyama stares at you in silence, his mind drawing blanks. Seeing his silent state, you turn around to leave. The longer you stand in front of him the weaker you start to feel. Your hand reaches for the doorknob but Kageyama stops you. He wraps his arms around your waist, your breath hitches from the sudden physical touch. Kageyama's chin rests on your shoulder, his chest against your back. 

"If you don't believe my words then I'll show you with my actions." Kageyama's voice is shaky when he holds onto you tightly. He releases you briefly to turn you around towards him. He gingerly places a hand on your bruise. Guilt written all over his face. Carefully he strokes your elbow, whispering a sorry. You stare at Kageyama, unsure how to feel at this moment. 

_Should you hate him for breaking your heart? Or should you forgive him?_

The heartbreak still a fresh wound to your heart.

_Is Kageyama only acting kind to you because he feels guilty? Or does he actually feel sorry for hurting you because he still loves you?_

You keep questioning everything he does. You lack the confidence of knowing that he truly loves you. Kageyama struggles with showing affection and that's played a huge part to the lack of confidence you have between your relationship.

Kageyama notices Y/L/N's silence when he looks at her. Her eyes stare at him but her thoughts are elsewhere. He places his hand on top of her head, stroking her hair softly.

You stiffen under his touch, your tears littering your face. His hand strokes on your head seems to be your kryptonite as it tears you apart. Yesterday you were crying to yourself thinking that you wouldn't experience something so small as this from him ever again. Now here Kageyama is, doing the very thing you ached for. But your emotions are conflicted now. 

_Is Kageyama genuinely sorry or guilty?_

_What made him realize that he was in the wrong?_

Weakly you grab onto his wrist, lowering his hand down to his side. "Kageyama…answer my question from yesterday." Your tears slide down your cheek when you look into his dark blue eyes. "Do you even love me?" You strain to say the words for the second time within the past two days. 

_If he genuinely loves you, he wouldn't hesitate to answer right away._

Kageyama silently stands there staring into your eyes. Seconds feel like minutes when you wait for his answer.

Kageyama presses his lips together, avoiding your eyes now and you feel your heart slowly rip apart again. You start to break when you look at him. His actions and words are not matching up and you feel like your heart is being played with. Kageyama must be apologizing to calm down his own guilt. Once again he's selfishly thinking about himself. Not wanting to put yourself around Kageyama, you run back inside the house. Closing the door behind you, you run upstairs avoiding your parents gazes. You close your bedroom door and throw yourself onto your bed. Closing your eyes, you cry yourself out until you fell asleep. Long forgetting to finish your homework and to reply to Suga. 


	11. A proper breakup

The sound of your alarm sounds like screams in your ear as you feel a throbbing headache. Annoyed, you turn off your alarm and sit up in your bed. You inch yourself onto the back of your bed frame. A silent knock catches your attention when you see your mom peek her head inside. Seeing you awake she forms a smile, letting herself in. She walks over to your bed and whispers a good morning. Her hand gently caresses your cheek. 

"Breakfast is ready downstairs whenever you're ready." 

You nod your head, eyes lowering down to your blanket. Your mom closes the door quietly behind her and you press your fingers against the temples of your head. Your head feels like it's being hammered down and you cringe at the pain. This is probably a side effect from your crying last night. You want anything else right now than to go to school today. 

Lifting your blanket off of you, you slide your feet into your slippers and head for the bathroom to freshen up. Your movement as lifeless as a marionette without it's master. 

Going downstairs, you see your parents happily talking over their coffee and toast. They grow silent when they watch you sit down in front of your breakfast. 

"Good morning sweetie." Dads warm cozy voice meet your ears. With no motivation to speak you give him a slight nod. Lifting a piece of toast up to your lips, you take a small bite. Dad knits his brows together with a frown on his face. Neither him or mom know the right words to tell you right now. Barely touching your breakfast, you excuse yourself from the table. You walk over to the foyer and slide your shoes on, deciding to leave for school a bit earlier today. The sun shines brighter today and you squint your eyes from the assault. 

The walk to school is full of silence, the only sound coming from a few cars that drive past and your shoes hitting the cobblestone beneath your feet. You wait to cross the road, the wind blowing your hair gently. Faintly you hear two students behind you. The two stop behind you as they wait to cross the road just like you are. 

"Did you have a good sleep last night?" The female student asks her boyfriend. 

"Of course. I dreamed about you." He says cheekily, pinching the girls cheek. She giggles beside him, the two holding hands. You freeze in your spot, not hearing the sound of the crosswalk notifying you that it's safe to cross. The couple walks past you and you watch the two cross the street. Your hand clenches onto the straps of you backpack when you envision yourself with Kageyama. 

You shut your eyes to avoid any tears that try to escape from you. 

"Excuse me, are you alright?" An unfamiliar voice calls out to you. They gently tap on your shoulder to get your attention. Slowly opening your eyes you see a girl with short blonde hair and light brown eyes. A cute blue star hair clip ties a mini ponytail on the left side of her head. Her eyes widen slightly when she recognizes your face. "Ah, you're Y/L/N." She gives you a warm smile. "You were the talk of the school yesterday." 

You stiffen from her words. "Talk of the school?" You softly repeat her words. She nods her head and scratches the back of her head awkwardly. 

"The girl that Kageyama broke up with." She looks down when she tells you. 

Your shoulders droop when you hear her words. Nibbling on your bottom lip, you try to hold back your tears of being known as ' _the girl Kageyama broke up with_ '. The blonde haired girl notices how awkward you feel and tries to change the subject. "My name's Yachi Hitoka, I believe we're in the same class." She extends her hand to you with a wide smile. You carefully take her hand and she gives you a gentle squeeze. "Should we go to class together?" She eases your tension with her carefree smile. Nodding your head, the two of you cross the street together. 

Yachi takes control of the conversation and you quietly listen to her. You can tell she's trying to make you feel better and you feel grateful that she's not pestering you for information about your fallout with Kageyama. 

The two of you part ways towards your respective lockers and you notice something sticking out of your locker. Several pieces of paper poke out. Wary of opening your locker you take a step back. You slowly open your locker to which scatters of paper fall onto your feet. You stare emotionless at the sheets. Each slip of paper scribbled with mockery towards you. A few students curiously look at you. Your hair falls over your face when you hang your head low. Yachi returns to you after hearing the sound. She furrows her brows when she sees the mess in your locker. Her hand reaches into your locker, balling up the papers in her hands.

"Who had the nerve to do this?" She grumbles under her breath. 

Your eyes gloss over when you kneel down to pick up the papers beneath your feet. 

**'PATHETIC.'**

**'WHY WOULD YOU YELL AT OUR KING.'**

**'GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE, BITCH.'**

**'YOU DESERVED IT.'**

**'WHAT DID HE EVEN SEE IN YOU?! YOU'RE SO PLAIN.'**

Your hand trembles and tears fall onto the papers before you. Yachi lets out a yelp of surprise when someone hovers over the two of you. A hand snatches the paper from your hands. 

"Who did this?!" Kageyama barks at the students around the vicinity. No one dares to look him in the eyes and a few students scurry off. Growling under his breath, he kneels down beside you, balling up every single paper. You don't meet Kageyama's eyes when he picks up the last sheet of paper. He doesn't say anything to you when he gets up to throw away the mess in a trashcan before heading off to his homeroom. 

Yachi kneels down beside you, placing her hand on your shoulder. "Should I tell our homeroom teacher that you're not feeling well?" You shake your head, slowly standing back up. You wipe your tears away with your fingers and turn to look at Yachi. "It's okay. I can't miss homeroom two days in a row." You whisper to her, changing your shoes. Yachi frowns when she stands beside you, her hands tightly squeezing together. 

Closing your locker, you avoid any lurking eyes and quietly walk to homeroom with Yachi right beside you. A few students are already sitting inside when you walk over to your seat. Upon sitting down you lower your head onto the desk. The cool surface calms down your hot face. You hear your name whispered among the students in the classroom but you try to tune them out. Yachi purses her lips when she helplessly looks at you from across the room.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Lunchtime rolls around and you find yourself a quiet spot in the courtyard under a tree. You stare at the milk carton in your hand, gently squeezing it. Thoughts of Kageyama's unhealthy obsession with drinking two milk cartons every day floods into your mind. You close your eyes, remembering the smile he gave you when you offered him your milk carton the time he forgot his wallet back in middle school. You loosen your grip on the milk carton, exhaling slowly under your breath. Slowly you open your eyes and come back to reality. 

You bought the milk carton out of habit. You preferred juices more. 

The sound of steps approaching you catches your attention and you look ahead of you. Suga raises a hand up with a relieved expression on his face when he sees you. "Is that spot free beside you?" Suga asks, staring to your right. You nod your head and inch over to make room for him. Suga plops himself down beside you, pulling his knees up to his chest. He folds his arms together on top of his knees and rests his chin on his arms. 

The two of you sit in silence. 

Suga is the one to speak up. "Kageyama rushed out of the gym yesterday after practice...and you never replied back to my text. Did something happen last night?" Suga asks. He stares at the grass beneath his feet. You bite your bottom lip, tensing up from his question. "We were up against each other during practice and we traded a few words to each other." Suga holds the conversation while you listen to him. "He seemed a bit jealous that I was hanging around you and said something that annoyed me." Suga dryly chuckles under his breath. "He thought I was trying to take you away from him because he took my spot as the main setter in the team." 

You look over at Suga with surprise. 

_Kageyama said that to him?_

Suga's face looks conflicted when his brows furrow together. A scowl written on his face. "His words triggered me but it brought out the best in me during the final set." Suga scoffs, a smile on his face. "I wondered why he would say such a thing and I realized he said those things because he felt threatened." Suga turns his attention to you, his hazel eyes look into your e/c eyes. "Kageyama still has feelings for you if he see's me as a threat." 

Your eyes waver from his words, you forget how to breath for a moment. You try to process Suga's words but from Kageyama's words yesterday, things don't seem to match up. You lower your eyes and shake your head. "I don't think so." The words weakly tremble out of your lips. Your hand squeezes the milk carton again when you tell Suga the events from last night. From how Kageyama came to your house to apologize and how he struggled with his words so he tried to hug you to make things better. But when you asked him if he loved you, you were met with silence and a distant expression. Suga carefully watches your hand squeeze the milk carton. Carefully, he takes the milk carton away from you. 

"I can't speak in his place but...he's probably struggling to understand his emotions." Suga gingerly holds the milk carton, leaning his back against the tree trunk. "Ah, speak of the devil." Suga grins slightly when he looks ahead. You follow Suga's line of sight and there stands Kageyama, his face contorted with different emotions. Suga stands up and walks over to Kageyama, passing him the milk carton. "Choose your words carefully, Kageyama." Suga whispers over to Kageyama before leaving the courtyard, his hands sliding into his pockets. 

Kageyama looks down at the milk carton Suga's passed to him, his brows knitting together briefly. Kageyama quietly walks over to you, his tall stature blocks the sun from your face. Nervously you look up at him, his dark blue eyes are gentle. You feel your heart skip at the sight of him. Obviously your heart still beats for Kageyama even though it's been shattered multiple times. 

"About last night..." Kageyama murmurs under his breath, looking away briefly. His hand clenches onto the milk carton. "I thought about your question." 

You purse your lips together, scared to hear whatever he plans to say to you. You grip the grass beneath your palms. Kageyama slowly kneels down so he's looking directly into your eyes. You carefully take note of his dark blue eyes, his trembling lips, and the way his bangs laid against his forehead. He closes his eyes, scrunching his face. You watch him fight with himself as he tries to express his words aloud. He's already hurt you more than enough times. Mentally psyching himself up, he sighs under his breath. 

Kageyama flutters his eyes open, lowering the milk carton between the two of you. He carefully places one hand on the back of your head, the other one on your cheek. You feel how shaky his hands are when he touches your cheek. It feels as if you're a fragile piece of glass with how careful he strokes your cheek.

You hold your breath when you look at him. His eyes are focused on you and only you in this moment. Kageyama slowly inches his face closer to yours and your thoughts go haywire. Your heart hammers in your chest when your lips are a mere centimeter away from Kageyama's. His breath tickles your lips and you find yourself closing your eyes. Kageyama gently holds your face still and his lips slowly meet yours. Your lips tremble under his soft ones. Tears trickle down your face when Kageyama nervously kisses you. The kiss is shy at first but it slowly turns more passionate, Kageyama still mindful to be careful to not hurt you. 

Your heart cries out when your kisses seem more desperate for Kageyama's love.

Your heart aches for Kageyama when you feel him slowly pull away.

The kiss seemingly turned both of your minds into mush when you stare at one another. 

Kageyama lowers his hand from your cheek and gently strokes the back of your head with his other. "I love you so much Y/N..." He bites his lips, before speaking up again. "But I don't think I deserve to be in a relationship with someone as precious as you." You stare at Kageyama completely confused, your cheeks stained with tears. 

_What does he mean?_

"You deserve to be with someone who wants to spend time with you." Kageyama lowers his eyes from you. "I've neglected you several times and I can't imagine what that feels like for you." Kageyama's hand continues to stroke your hair. "I don't deserve to be with you if I'm thinking about everything else before placing you first. I made a promise to give you my attention and I couldn't even keep that promise." Kageyama clenches his teeth when he thinks about how he's neglected you. "You're too good to me Y/N. You deserve better." 

You place your hand on his wrist, lowering his hand away from the back of your head. "I want you though Kageyama." The pleading tone in your voice breaks Kageyama inside out. His eyes gloss over and his lips tremble. 

"How can I love you if I can't change my ways Y/N." Kageyama strains his words out. "It's best if we just stay as friends. No strings attached." Your hearts falls to your stomach when you listen to Kageyama but you're taken aback when you see Kageyama fall apart in front of you. He wears a serious gaze on you but there are tears falling from them. His tears drip down from his cheeks and onto his knees. Kageyama surprises himself when he wipes a few tears away. He tries to turn away from you but you stop him with your hand on his cheek. Gently you stroke his tears away with your thumb. 

Seeing him cry is proof enough to you that Kageyama does love you very much and that this is ripping him apart just as badly as it is for you.

"Okay." Is the only thing you can say with the little strength you have left in your voice. "Okay..." You frown, your eyes glossy when you look at the tears falling down on his face. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pull him close to you. Kageyama falls over top of you from your grasp. You hide your face in the nook of his neck, his smell intoxicating your nose. 

Kageyama hides his own face in your shoulder, silently crying. The two of you desperately hold onto one another with broken hearts. 

_The two of you are experiencing your first heartache from your first breakup with your first love._


	12. The start of a getaway

A month has passed since your breakup with Kageyama. You returned to the volleyball club and focused on your tasks, your eyes never drifting away from Kageyama as much as it did hurt you. Your heart still skips when you stare at his serious gaze. There's nothing you can do to stop your heart from aching for him. 

"Y/L/N?" Kiyoko waves her hand in front of your face. Jumping slightly, you flutter your lashes and turn to look at Kiyoko. "You should go home and get some rest. We have an early morning tomorrow." 

"Ah, right!" You stammer your words, bowing to her. "I'll clean this up before I go." You quickly pick up a few supplies and dash towards the gym closet before Kiyoko can stop you. She sighs under her breath, a smile etches on her face. 

Tomorrow the team will undergo a volleyball training camp for two weeks. With spring break starting tomorrow the members and Coach Ukai decided to spend their vacation training. Luckily, a few teams will join throughout the two weeks so the Karasuno volleyball team will experience different types of team play styles. Coach Ukai doesn't expect everyone to practice every single day so he's encouraged everyone to also enjoy their spring break. You'll stay in a countryside lodging that's not too far away from the bustling city of Tokyo. It's still a long drive to commute to both places so you'll have to plan out the days you'd like to see Tokyo ahead of time. 

The thought of spending spring break with the volleyball team makes you nervous but excited. Your parents were extremely worried when you told them about the two week getaway but Kiyoko insured them that she'll keep watch of you. You also extended the offer to Yachi the following week you were told about the spring break trip. The two of you have grown closer since the locker incident. With an exhale under your breath, you close the gym closet door. 

"Y/L/N." The familiar deep voice you've grown used to calls out to you from behind. You stiffen from Kageyama's voice. He hasn't called you by your first name anymore since your breakup. Slowly you turn around to see him behind you. His hair sticks to the side of his face from his sweat. Taking the towel wrapped around his neck, he pats his face. "Wait up for me. I'll walk you home." He says with pursed lips. His eyes stares at you directly for a second before he turns around. He runs off to change before you can utter a word out. 

Biting your lower lip, you droop your shoulders. He's making it more difficult for your feelings to stop. You take a seat on the bricks that wrap around various flowers in the courtyard. A loud voice catches your attention.

"Kageyama toss me a few more before you go!" Hinata whines out, tailing Kageyama. 

"We have all tomorrow." Kageyama grumbles at Hinata as he heads over to you. Hinata notices you waiting and stops his pleading. "FINE!" Hinata turns around and jogs back inside the gymnasium where the others are. You stand up when Kageyama inches closer to you. 

"Are you sure you don't want to practice a little longer? I can walk my-" Kageyama cuts you off when he places his hand on your shoulders, turning you around and gently pushing you forward. Your eyes widen in surprise from his sudden touch, you feel the heat creep onto your cheeks. 

"I'll be practicing for two weeks straight." Kageyama says under his breath. "Let's get you home before it gets dark." 

You feel the warmth of his hands leave your shoulders and the spring breeze replaces it. Your eyes follow Kageyama's broad back. Biting your lower lip you glance elsewhere. The two of you are still suppressing your love for one another. You both silently walk to your house. "Are you excited for tomorrow?" You decide to speak up to break the silence. Kageyama eyes you from the corner of his eye and nods his head. His hand clenches into a fist. 

"I'm excited to see the other teams in action."

A smile forms on your face when you see Kageyama's eyes sparkle from his side profile. 

"You'll surprise them for sure." You whisper to him. Your voice full of adoration and pride when you think of Kageyama. Kageyama nibbles his bottom lip and stares ahead. You can see his cheeks turn a shade pink. 

"Yeah." Kageyama mutters out.


	13. Secluded on the lake

"Y/L/N, did you get any sleep last night?" Yachi peers at your tired face. The two of you unpack your belongings in one of the rooms inside of the lodge. Yachi and you are sharing a room with Kiyoko. The room contains two bunk beds to which Yachi and you decide to share one together. Yachi afraid of heights opted for the bottom bunk. 

Stifling a yawn, you flutter away the tired tears that grace your eyes. "I was worried I would leave something behind so I kept on checking my luggage two to three times." You murmur, stretching your arms up towards the roof. Yachi giggles beside you, tossing her backpack onto the bed. "Thank you for inviting me again." Yachi tugs the end of your sleeve with a smile. You form a smile of your own and nod your head. 

The two of you hear a commotion outside the bedroom door and quickly run over to find out what's going on.

"We should go swimming first!" Nishinoya shouts to Daichi who's holding a map. 

"I wonder if there are any ladies already there." Tanaka drools as he's in his own daydream. Asahi gently smacks the back of Tanaka's head. Suga chuckles under his breath besides Tanaka. Yachi leans over to your ear, whispering. "Looks like they're excited." The two of you giggle among yourselves. Hinata spots you both, a grin on his face when he walks over to you both. 

"You both are going to swim with us, right?" His energetic personality is infectious when you see Yachi nodding her head eagerly. 

"It's settled then. Once everyone's changed we'll relax by the lake and grill on the barbecue for lunch." Daichi shouts to the group and a chorus of cheers reverberates the lodge. You press your lips together at the thought of the lake. You were always afraid of what's out there in the water. Not knowing what is under the water frightens you. But you didn't want to ruin Yachi's excitement by your own fear of the unknown. 

You quickly grab your swimsuit and a sheer cardigan cover-up into the bathroom to change. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The glistening lake in front of you takes your breath away when you and the others arrive. The lake seems to sparkle under the sunrays and it's a sight you can't ever forget. The gentle sounds of the water hitting against the rocks soothes your anxiety slightly. 

You spot Nishinoya, Hinata, and Tanaka already jumping into the lake. Kiyoko stands beside you and giggles under her breath. "If you need me I'll be over there." Kiyoko points over to a tree and raises a book in her hand. Yachi and you both nod your head.

"Yachi come on in!" Hinata shouts from the lake towards the two of you. Yachi grows flustered from being called out and turns to look at you. You give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You can go in first, I'm going to walk along the shore." 

"Okay." Yachi smiles at you before slipping out of her sandals and joining up with the others. You watch Yachi happily join up with Hinata. The two already splashing water at one another. You can't recall when those two got so friendly. A voice calls you out of your thoughts. "You're not going in?" The deep voice of Kageyama makes you stiffen. You look up to meet his eyes but you couldn't avoid seeing his bare chest along the way. Feeling shy you look elsewhere, your head downcast. 

"I...I'll join later." Your voice is so soft that it's barely a whisper. Kageyama purses his lips together and nods his head. His eyes travel your body and he starts to feel shy. Clearing his throat he walks past you, running into the lake to calm down his heated body. You watch him awkwardly hide his blushing cheeks, a giggle escaping your lips and a sharp pain stabbing your chest. 

_It's unfair if you react like Kageyama._

You silently watch Kageyama argue with Hinata when he joins up with the others. The smile on your face slowly falls and you clench your hands on your cardigan. You avert your gaze towards the shoreline in front of you. Quietly you walk alone to calm your uneasy heart. The sound of footsteps can be heard behind you. Before you can look to see who it is, their voice meets your ears.

"Y/L/N!" Suga jogs up to your side. You slow down to acknowledge him. 

"Is something wrong?" You ask him, watching him straighten himself up. You notice that he's in his swimming trunks but he still has a white tee on.

"I was going to ask you that question." Suga's hazel eyes gently gaze at you. You bite your bottom lip, fiddling with the end of your cardigan. Suga keeps his eyes on your face and doesn't look elsewhere. His cheeks a tinge pink. He takes in your silence and slowly comes to a conclusion of his own to his question. "I'm guessing you don't like the water?" He asks. You look up at him and nod your head. It's not like you couldn't swim. It was just the unknown of what's in the water that frightens you. Suga spots a fallen over tree that rests in the shallow part of the lake. "Let's just dip our feet in the water then? That looks like a good spot." 

You follow Suga's line of sight and follow behind him. The spot nicely shaded by the other trees and it's further away from the others so their shouting won't ruin the peacefulness of the area. 

Suga hops on top of the tree stump, extending his hand to you. "Be careful." His voice softly calls to you when you take his hand. You grow nervous from Suga's touch. The last time you've had personal contact with the opposite sex was with Kageyama. The day you both officially broke up. Suga's hand doesn't linger when he releases your hold. The two of you dangle your legs over the stump into the lake. The spring breeze flutters your hair behind your shoulder and you take in a deep breath. 

"How are things between you and Kageyama?" Suga breaks the silence with a question. The question makes you feel uneasy but talking about it might help you release these clogged emotions. You look up at the clear blue sky, the wind kissing your cheeks. 

"Things have been okay. Kageyama seems much happier now." You pause before continuing. "He doesn't have anything to worry about now since he's single." You bite your bottom lip, still trying to move on yourself. "I'm happy for him." You whisper. 

"Your expression doesn't seem to agree with your words." Suga interjects. Your eyes meet Suga's hazel ones. Suga examines your face carefully, his brows furrowed together.

You crumble under his gentle gaze, exhaling the breath you didn't know you are holding in. Awkwardly you run your fingers through your hair. "I'm having a hard time moving on." You say to Suga honestly. A few tears fall onto your lap. "I'm sorry if I'm being pathetic right now. I know I should move on from Kageyama but...it's taking a longer time for me." Your body trembles as the words you've held in starts to escape your lips. "I try to put a brave face on whenever I see him and I try to calm down my aching heart but it seems like I only have control of my emotions when I'm not near him." The tears trickle down your face and you taste the saltiness. 

Suga slowly reaches towards you, tucking your hair behind your ear to distract you from your heartache. He lowers his hand to the stump of the tree and forms a half smile at you. "No one's telling you to quickly get over your feelings Y/L/N. We all recover from heartache differently so don't force yourself." You widen your eyes from Suga's words. Your tears slowing down as you mentally process Suga's every word. His eyes doesn't waver from yours. The two of you silently stare at one another. You're more so looking through him. 

_No one's rushing you._

You repeat Suga's words over and over.

Your mind returns back to reality when you stare at Suga's gentle face. He's silently staring at you as you process everything. Lowering your eyes you whisper a thank you to him. "You're always giving me advice Suga." You quietly say under your breath, your eyes staring at the lake beneath your feet. Suga dryly chuckles and tilts his head up to look at the clear sky. 

"I can't help but extend a hand to anyone who needs it." Suga says with a smile on his face. You turn to look at him. Your thoughts wondering if there's anyone who's there for Suga when he needs it. You don't speak your thoughts aloud since you don't think you've reached that openness with one another yet. Suga notices your silence and is taken aback when he notices you staring at him. Feeling nervous he scratches the back of his neck. 

"Did you want to get in the water?" Suga looks at the water beneath his feet. 

"If you want to, you can. Don't feel forced to sit here with me if you want to enjoy yourself." You answer him. 

Suga presses his lips together in thought. "I'm not going in unless you are coming in too. I can't have all the fun when it's our spring break." His hazel eyes glance over to your face. "Are you afraid of the water?" You stiffen from his question, feeling coy you bite your lower lip. "It's more of being afraid of what I can't see in the water." You sheepishly answer. Suga raises an eyebrow and listens to you intently. "I can swim perfectly fine but I always have this fear in the back of my mind that something will swallow me whole." Your eyes stare at the darkness of the lake. You hear a splash soon after and stare at Suga who stands before you in the lake. "S-Suga?" You stare at him in disbelief when you watch him dip his head in the lake before popping back up. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of Y/L/N. I don't see anything scary under here." 

_Did he open his eyes underwater to look for you?_

Suga extends a hand out to you and you notice his drenched shirt. He was so quick to act that he didn't bother taking it off. 

"If anything scares you I'll make sure to bring you back up to safety." Suga sweetly calls out to you, a half smile on his face. 

You feel your heart race briefly from his kindness. He's really going out of his way to make sure you're okay.

_Does he treat everyone like this?_

Not wanting to leave him hanging any further, you nod your head. Suga scoots closer over to you, stretching both of his hands out to lift you off of the stump and into the lake. His cold wet hands touch the sides of your waist, making you sharply breath in. As you feel your body submerge into the cool lake, Suga gasps to himself.

"I should've let you take off your cardigan. Now it's wet..." He panics to himself when he notices your cardigan still draped over you. Your mind was too focused on his touch that you didn't remember to take the cardigan off either. 

"I-It's okay." You try to comfort Suga who is panicking by himself. You try to quickly change the conversation. "The water feels nice." Suga nods his head and drifts a little further away from the tree stump.

"I can't remember the last time I went swimming, let alone went on a vacation." Suga grins from ear to ear when he starts to float in the water. You watch him with a small smile. 

"It's been awhile for me too." You say aloud. The water embraces you as you take in your surroundings. The two of you silently enjoy the quietness of the nature around you for a while longer before rejoining to the others for lunch.


	14. Suga's Love

Suga leaves your side when the two of you return to the others. The smell of grilled meat wafts towards your nose. Yachi runs over to your side with an extra plate and hands it to you. "I was wondering where you went off to." Yachi says with a smile. You graciously accept her plate and thank her, the two of you sitting down at the table. 

"Suga accompanied me on my little stroll." You answer her, picking up a meat skewer from the plate. Kageyama eyes you from across the table, lips pressing together when he see's Suga sit down beside Daichi. 

"Oh?" Yachi raises an eyebrow, her voice higher than usual and she sports a devilish smirk. Your cheeks turn a light shade pink. 

"Whatever you're thinking, it's not like that." You answer her, taking a bite of the skewer in your hand. Kageyama intently listens to your conversation, unaware that he looks completely obvious. 

"It's not nice to eavesdrop on others Kageyama." Hinata says with a mouthful. Kageyama knits his brows together, pulling on Hinata's ear. "Shut up." Kageyama grumbles under his breath. 

You turn to look at Kageyama, noticing how bothered he looks. "Suga didn't want me to feel left out." You raise your voice slightly so Kageyama can hear when you speak to Yachi. 

"He's such a nice upperclassman." Yachi smiles to herself. 

You notice Kageyama relax his shoulders from the corner of your eye. He really is making this difficult for you to move on. Kageyama still has small feelings for you and you clearly know that but the two of you agree that a relationship is not the answer. 

"Should we go on a hike after lunch Y/L/N?" Yachi asks you. 

"Sure. Let's change after we finish up." You smile at her and she nods. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After Yachi and you quickly change into something more dry, the two of you leave the lodge to take a short hike. Hinata and Suga joined in, wanting to walk off their full stomachs. "This feels so nice!" Hinata shouts with his arms folded behind his head, a wide grin on his face. 

"You don't have to shout Hinata." Suga dryly chuckles beside him. 

You stare at the two from behind. Yachi stares at Hinata with a gentle smile. You notice the adoration in Yachi's side profile and a thought forms in your mind. "Yachi?" You whisper her name, catching her attention. She turns to look at you with her head tilting to the side. You mouth the words, "Do you like Hinata?" She stops in her tracks and squeals, catching the attention of Hinata and Suga. You stiffen in your spot and stare at her wide eyed. 

"Is something wrong?!" Hinata turns around to stare at the two of you. Yachi with flushed cheeks pretends to swat an imaginary bug. "N-Nothing! I just saw a big bug." Yachi stammers her words. Feeling sorry that you caused that reaction from Yachi you pretend to swat an imaginary bug as well. 

"I think it's gone now." You answer. 

"Y-Yeah!" Yachi nervously giggles. Hinata and Suga both turn back around and continue ahead. 

"Sorry." You whisper to Yachi feeling guilty. She shakes her head side to side. 

"I was just thrown off guard from your question." She purses her lips together, her hands clenching one another.

You carefully watch Yachi grow flustered, cheeks a tint pink. Her eyes nervously look at Hinata's back and you can see her inhale sharply. "I think I do." She whispers. The sound of your footsteps fill your ears when Yachi answers you. A small smile forms on your face. 

"It's a nice feeling." You say under your breath. Yachi nods her head in agreement. A feeling you knew very well. 

"I don't know how he feels about me...and I don't want to ruin what we have right now by telling him my feelings." Yachi weakly says beside you. "He has a lot on his mind and I don't want to bother him with something as tedious as my feelings." Yachi downcast her eyes, her words saddening but her expression she wears on her face is still bright. You quietly listen to her open up. 

"There'll be a right time for you to tell him Yachi." You reach over for her clenched hands. Yachi unravels her hand allowing you to gently squeeze one of them. Yachi turns to look at you, a look of determination washes over her face. She flashes you a bright smile and interlocks her fingers with yours, nodding her head. "Yeah." Yachi smiles, pulling you ahead. The conversation then changes. "Wow, look at the view ahead Y/L/N!" Yachi and you run past Hinata and Suga towards the viewing spot. You both gasp with sparkling eyes when you stare at the sunset. The view of the lake and woods below you. 

Yachi releases her hold on your hand and fumbles for her phone in her pocket. She quickly opens up the camera app and takes several pictures. Hinata and Suga slowly meet up with you both, taking in the beautiful sight as well. The four of you are speechless from the view above the mountain. "Y/N." You're startled from hearing Yachi call you by your first name. Her phone is raised up and she smiles. "Smile~" She says in a cheerful tone. Shyly you smile and form a peace sign like her. She smiles from ear to ear when she looks at the photo. "Let's take a few more." She suggests and you nod your head. 

"Suga are you seeing this?!" Hinata shouts, eyes sparkling. 

"Too bad the others won't be able to see this." Suga is in awe from the view. 

Hinata takes his phone out to snap a photo and texts the image to Kageyama.

Hinata grumbles from Kageyama's response and puts his phone away. Suga chuckles beside him, turning his attention towards Yachi and you. 

"Did you two want a photo together?" Suga leaves Hinata's side and walks towards the two of you. 

"Sure!" Yachi hands Suga her phone and the two of you pose. You purse your lips together and stare at Hinata who's leaning over the railing with a wide smile. "Hinata." You call out to him and he turns to look at you. "Did you want to take a picture with us?" Yachi stiffens from your suggestion to Hinata. Hinata grins from ear to ear and shouts a 'sure'. You move to Yachi's left side, allowing Hinata to stand on her right side. The three of you flashing a smile. After Suga takes the photo you swap places with him. The three of them now smile for the photo. Suga then leaves Yachi's side so Hinata and Yachi are the only one in the frame.

Suga stands beside you and you watch Yachi's expression change. Hinata cheeses brightly while Yachi shyly smiles. You quickly snap a few shots before returning her phone. 

"Y/L/N, you and Suga should take a photo as well." Hinata says towards the both of you. 

"Oh, that's right!" Yachi gets ready to pull her phone back out when Suga hands her his phone. You raise an eyebrow at Suga's quickness. "Let's take the photo here Y/L/N." Suga stands in front of the railing and you follow over to him. 

"Wow, that's a good spot! You can see the lake from this angle." Yachi smiles when she looks from the phone. 

"Smile Y/L/N!" Hinata says from beside Yachi. You smile at how adorable Yachi and Hinata look side by side. After a few snaps Yachi returns Suga's phone to him. Yachi and Hinata converse among each other as they stare at the view. Suga lowers his phone to your line of sight, showing you the photos. 

"Oh wow." You whisper. 

"It's really beautiful." You feel Suga's breath on your skin as he leans over to look at the phone with you. You tense from how close Suga is but he only leans briefly before standing upright. "Should we take a selfie too? The sun is setting so the lighting will look nice." You widen your eyes briefly. Taken aback that Suga seems to know the perfect lighting for a photo. You didn't take him as the type to take photos. Suga patiently waits for your answer and you nod your head. 

"Okay." You say softly. 

Suga stretches out his arm and you see yourself reflect on his phone screen. His body moves closer to you but he's aware to not close the distance. The two of you smile and he takes the photo. You hold your breath in when Suga's scent wafts towards your nose. The smell of fresh linen and hints of citrus. The smell quickly disappears as quickly as it filled your nose. Suga steps back and stares at the photo with a gentle smile. "I'll send these to your phone." Suga says while tapping at his phone. You nod your head and turn to see Yachi and Hinata laugh with one another. 

"They look happy." Suga says beside you, sliding his phone in his pocket. He rests his arms on the rail and stares ahead. You nod your head and smile when you look at Yachi. You turn around and lean over the railing as well. "If Hinata wasn't so air headed he would see how much Yachi likes him." Suga whispers beside you. You stare at Suga surprised and he chuckles under his breath. 

"How did you know about Yachi's feelings?" You whisper. Suga flashes you a smirk. "Who wouldn't know?" Suga leaves the conversation at that, turning his attention towards the sunset sky. You turn your eyes forward, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin fade into the coolness of the summer breeze. Your mind wanders to how detailed Suga's observations are. He seems to be aware of everything and everyone around him to a tee. 

_Is it because he's had a lot of experience?_

He is two years older than you, soon to be three.

"Suga." His name barely slips out of your lips and you wonder if he even heard you. Suga turns to acknowledge you, his head tilting to the side. You are curious if he knows so much about love because he's experienced the emotion before. Unsure if the question is out of line, you hesitate to ask. 

"What is it?" His soft tone matches the one you had earlier. The wind gently flutters your hair behind your shoulders and you watch Suga's light grey hair gently be ruffled by the summer breeze. His mole more apparent on his face from the hair being lifted away.

"Have you been in love before?" You summon the courage to ask the question. You watch Suga widen his eyes briefly before he relaxes his eyes on your face. 

"Once." Suga averts his gaze away from you. "It was one-sided." Suga pauses before continuing. "I fell in love with a senior during my first year. She was the manager of the volleyball team at the time and I never had the courage to tell her my feelings before she graduated." Suga's voice is more fragile and delicate. The forlorn expression he wears makes your heart ache slightly. He must've loved her a lot from the way he speaks about his feelings. 

"Do you still have feelings for her?" You ask him. Suga turns to look over to you. "No." He answers honestly. "It took a year for me to get over her though." Suga releases a sigh and stretches his arms up. "That's why I told you to not feel rushed." Suga gently places a hand on the top of your head. You freeze from his touch. Your eyes travel up to his face and the sunset casts his side profile beautifully. The two of you stare at one another in silence. Suga softly strokes your head before pulling his hand back to his side. "It's getting late, let's head back before it gets too dark you two." Suga calls out to Yachi and Hinata who are in their own world. The two nod their heads and you all start to make our way back to the lodge. 

You quietly follow beside Suga. Your mind elsewhere as you take in the information you just learned about him. 

_Suga's first love was one sided._

He didn't have the opportunity to express his emotions so he bottled up his emotions alone. 

_That must've felt painful._

You thought to yourself. You sneak a glance at Suga from the corner of your eye. 

**Suga is not just kind but he's also strong.**


	15. Yachi's confession

Four days passed by during volleyball training. The team has been busy practicing against Nekoma, Aobajohsai, and Fukurodani High. Each team showing off their own way of battling on the volleyball court.

You've been observing everyone's slow growth beside Kiyoko and the two of you have been eagerly jotting things down.

The day seems to slip past you when you step away from the volleyball team practice in one of the courtyards near the lodge. The sun long gone and the sound of cicadas echo loudly in your ear. A yawn escapes your lips when you see Yachi run over to Hinata with a bottle of water. He graciously accepts it from her and chugs the water down in a matter of seconds. Tanaka cries out to her, asking her why Hinata is the only one to get a bottle. Yachi stands there nervously and Kiyoko interferes, placing a water bottle in Tanaka's hand. You giggle under your breath at the scenario.

"Oh? You're still here Y/L/N?" A voice calls out to you from behind and you turn around to see Suga wiping the sweat off his face with a towel. Even though Suga is the second setter for the team and has barely gotten any action in the matches, you find him practicing just as hard as the other members.

"Yeah, I just wanted to observe the others a little more." You answer Suga with a small smile. Suga nods his head and forms a small smile of his own. "You're working hard." He compliments you. Pressing your lips together you feel shy from his compliment. "It's nothing..." Your words trail off. Silence enters the conversation and Suga places the sweaty towel over his shoulder. "If you're free, do you want to take a walk over to the lake? It's a nice change of scenery." Suga looks at you for an answer. You're caught off guard from his offer and absentmindedly nod your head. He flashes you a smile and leads the way. You follow a few steps behind him, watching his shirt cling to his back from the sweat.

Thoughts wander in your mind about how hard Suga is pushing himself these past few days. It seems like Suga is fighting to stay in his position as a setter. You can't imagine how it must feel for him to have Kageyama take his position from right under him.

Suga notices the distance between you two and slows down to close the distance. "Something wrong?" Suga looks over to you with a relaxed expression. You shake your head, not wanting to express your inner thoughts.

Suga being Suga, doesn't pry for you to speak if you didn't want to. The sound of water hitting against the shoreline reaches your ears and the two of you sit under a tree. Suga stretches his arms up and leans against the tree stump. He deeply inhales the cool spring air and wears a small smile. You pull your knees up to your chest, folding your arms on top of your knee and resting your chin on your arms.

The two of you silently listen to the spring night sounds and the soft splash of the water. Usually silence would give you anxiety but you find yourself comfortable with the silence when you're around Sugawara. The two of you mutually understand each other without having to express your feelings into words. You feel like these past few days with Suga has helped you understand yourself a bit better.

Your eyes have not been wandering towards Kageyama as much. The thought alone gave your heart some comfort.

A few minutes have passed in silence and you look over to Suga. Your eyes widen briefly when you see him peacefully sleeping. Unsure what to do you nudge him slightly.

"Suga, lets go back to the lodge." You whisper to him. He must've worn himself out with the intense practices. Suga knits his brows and quietly pouts. He leans his head gently on top of yours, making you freeze. One side of his body presses against yours and you can feel his chest moving up and down from his breathing. Pursing your lips together, you find yourself stuck in your position. Your thoughts scattered from the situation. The smell of fresh linen and citrus fills your nose as your mind is in panic mode. Thankfully the cool spring breeze startles Suga awake. He flutters his eyes open, rubbing his arms. He notices the position he's in and quickly sits up straight.

"Sorry, did I fall asleep on you Y/L/N?" Suga feels embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. You relax your tense body and turn to look at Suga.

"We should head back so you can get some rest." You say softly, standing yourself up and patting any dirt that's on the back of your shorts. Suga nods and does the same. The warmth of Suga fades from your body when you're met by the night breeze. Suga awkwardly walks beside you, feeling sorry that he fell asleep on you. "Next time just shove me off Y/L/N." Suga breaks the silence between the two of you as you walk back to the lodge.

"I don't think I could do that." You nervously say, looking up at him.

"I won't be mad if you do." Suga flashes a smile at you. You lower your head unsure how to respond further. Suga contemplates his thoughts as the two of you walk in silence. He speaks up again. "Next time you're tired, I'll let you rest on my shoulder. We can call it even then." Suga looks over to you with a gentle smile.

_Is he making a deal with you? If so...the deal is a bit silly._

You giggle under your breath and turn your attention forward. "That's a bit silly."

Suga instantly feels embarrassed from his suggestion, turning his eyes away from you with pink cheeks. Hearing his underclassman say his suggestion is silly makes him feel incredibly embarrassed. The two of you are lost in your own thoughts when suddenly you spot two students standing in front of the lodge entrance. Suga carefully takes your wrist, pulling you down to a bush nearby.

_Why are you two hiding exactly?_

"H-Hinata." The shaky voice sounds familiar to you.

"What is it Yachi? You don't have to stay out later to help me practice. We can pick this up tomorrow." Hinata's voice is much louder than Yachi's shaky one. Suga and you slowly peer at the two from the bush.

"I...That's not what I was going to talk about." Yachi grips onto the end of her shirt. Her eyes stare nervously at the ground.

_Is Yachi planning to confess to Hinata tonight?_

You question the thought when you remember how nervous Yachi was when she found out you knew her feelings for Hinata. It was only a few days ago when Yachi did not plan to express her feelings to him. You wonder what changed her mind. Hinata tilts his head at Yachi's statement. You turn around, lowering yourself back down. You didn't feel right witnessing such an intimate moment. Suga notices your reaction and leans down closer to you.

"Looks like we have to wait till they leave from the entrance." Suga whispers beside you, his breath tickling your ear. His low voice in your ear makes you shiver. You nod your head slowly, feeling Suga's hair tickle your cheek. Suga is too engrossed in the conversation ahead so he doesn't realize the close distance between you two. You bite your lower lip, clenching your hands into fists from the close contact. Your thoughts are momentarily distracted when you hear footsteps turning the corner towards your direction. 

_Whoever it is can't ruin Yachi's moment right now._

Your eyes bolt up towards the person, barely seeing who it is from the darkness you wrap your small hand around their wrist. Gently you give them a tug which startles them, they loose their footing and fall over top of you. Like dominoes, your body gently nudges Suga who holds back a yelp. 

Hinata and Yachi glance over to see what the commotion is but luckily the bushes are in their way. 

The person you grabbed groans above you. To your surprise Tsukishima towers over you, his golden brown eyes adjust to the darkness and he's not surprised to see it's you who's caused this scene. You feel a hand on the palm of your back gently lift you up. Tsukishima pulls himself off of you and Suga props you up correctly. Your expression is frozen from all of the close contact you did not expect for the night.

"What are you doing behind these bushes." Tsukishima coldly hisses at you. Suga cuts through the conversation, putting a finger over his lips. "Yachi is confessing to Hinata." Suga whispers. 

Tsukishima sighs under his breath, patting the dirt off of his knee and flinching. You notice that there's a scrape on his knee. 

_Did you do that?_

Feeling guilty you pull a small first aid kit out of your pocket. Suga and Tsukishima raise an eyebrow when the two of them watch you.

"Do you always carry that?" Suga asks beside you. You open the tiny box and pull out a disinfectant wipe and band-aid. "I brought it in case someone got hurt during practice." You softly say. Tsukishima purses his lips, reaching over to grab the wipe from you. "I can do it." You look up at him, eyes guilty. "Just let me do this. It's my fault you got scraped." Tsukishima seems taken aback from your insistence. He lowers his hand to his side and Suga smirks from behind you. 

"Y/L/N is starting to act more like a manager." Suga whispers towards Tsukishima. You gently wipe the blood off from the scrape, noticing Tsukishima tighten his leg. After cleaning up the scrape, you rip open the band-aid, careful to place it over his scrape. You gently tap the sides and form a small smile. Tsukishima grumbles under his breath when he sees the pattern of the band-aid. A bright yellow with smiley faces. 

"That looks cute on you Tsukishima." Suga jokes. 

"You don't have a plain band-aid in your kit Y/L/N?" Tsukishima looks at you with knit brows. Shaking your head no, he silently grumbles to himself. "How much longer do we need to hide here?" Tsukishima changes the conversation and Suga slowly pops his head out from the bushes. The three of you sit in silence when you hear Yachi try to find her words. Surprisingly Hinata has not egged her on to speak her mind. Tsukishima looks at you from the corner of his eye, noticing your tense shoulders. 

"Hinata..." Yachi calls out his name. You bite your lower lip, clenching onto the trash from the first aid kit. Yachi's voice sounds more determined now. You hold in your breath anticipating her next words. 

"I...I really like." Yachi forces her eyes shut as she speaks loudly. Hinata seems taken aback from her loud tone, his body reflexively leaning back. "I really like you Hinata!" She shouts her feelings through. Silence fills the conversation and you fight your curiosity to see their expressions. Tsukishima seems to be paralyzed from the tense situation. Hinata stares bewilderingly at Yachi before opening his mouth. "Oh? I like you too Yachi! You're always helping me out all the time." Hinata chuckles and you feel your soul physically leave you. 

"Oh god...Hinata." Suga slumps down beside you, ruffling his silver hair.

"Figures that idiot wouldn't really understand her feelings." Tsukishima scoffs, his finger gently touching the band-aid. You pray that Yachi corrects Hinata. 

_But is she emotionally stable after hearing him say that?_

Yachi awkwardly laughs loudly to suppress her broken heart.

"I think it's safe for us to go intervene now." Tsukishima says to you and Suga. As Tsukishima gets ready to stand up, Suga stretches his arm past you to pull Tsukishima back down.

"Hold on Tsukishima." Suga says, glancing over the bush again to look at the scenario ahead. "She isn't done." 

Yachi tightens her hands into fists and furiously shakes her head. Hinata stares at her wide eyed, tilting his head. 

"Let me rephrase my words for you Hinata." Her tone much more calm now. She looks directly into Hinata's eyes, taking in a deep breath before saying the next words. "Hinata, I like like you." Her lips tremble but she doesn't stop there. "I know it's selfish of me to throw my feelings onto you right now when you're busy preparing for the volleyball competition..." Her voice starts to fade but she raises her voice up again. "But I just really wanted you to know my feelings!" 

Suga, you, and Tsukishima release the breaths you've held in. "She did it." You whisper, smiling to yourself. Suga nods his head when he looks at your distant expression. Tsukishima also notices your expression but he doesn't pester you about it. 

"Ah..." Hinata seems to be at a loss for words when he looks at Yachi in a different light.

"You don't have to return my feelings right now Hinata! Just focus on volleyball." Yachi quickly forces her next sentence out before running into the lodge. Hinata stands there in disbelief at the sudden confession. He slowly walks into the lodge a few seconds after Yachi. His soul seeming to have left him. When the three of you hear the click of the door closing behind Hinata, you all slowly get up. 

"No thanks to the both of you for making me stay out here this late." Tsukishima purses his lips together, looking at Suga and then to you. 

"Ah, come on Tsukishima. You have to say that moment was really heartwarming." Suga gently nudges Tsukishima's shoulder. Tsukishima doesn't answer him when he averts his gaze. 

"I'm going in." Tsukishima murmurs under his breath, walking past you two. 

Suga chuckles under his breath and the two of you follow after Tsukishima. 

_Tonight was full of surprises._


	16. Feelings returned

You return to your bedroom after saying goodnight to Tsukishima and Suga. The room lights are off besides a faint glow of a phone screen by Yachi's bed. She hears you close the door behind you and sits up. Quietly she pulls the blanket off of her and grabs hold of your hand, pulling you right back out of the bedroom. You raise an eyebrow, confused. Yachi carefully closes the door behind her and pulls you over to the living room. 

"I-Is everything okay Yachi?" You ask her, keeping up with her urgency when you two plop yourselves onto the sofa. To your surprise everyone's in their bedrooms and you have the living space area to yourselves. Yachi sports a knit eyebrow look with redden cheeks. 

"I...I told Hinata, Y/N." Yachi's words stammer out of her lips. She grabs one of the pillows beside her, squeezing it tightly. You stare at her with wide eyes pretending to be surprised. Thankfully Yachi isn't looking at you much to notice your horrible fake reaction. "R-Really? What did he say?" You find a pillow yourself and gently rest it on your lap. Yachi shyly hides her face from you, staring at the pillow in her clenched hands. 

"He didn't understand what I meant at first so I had to clarify it to him." Yachi pauses before continuing. "I was too nervous to hear his feelings so I told him to just focus on volleyball for now." Yachi nibbles her bottom lip anxiously. You silently watch her fight with her emotions. "Is that what you really want Yachi?" You carefully ask her. She shakes her head side to side frantically. "Of course not!" She whisper yells. Yachi looks up at you, her eyes glossing over. "But I couldn't bare to stand in front of him any longer to find out that he'll reject me." 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Kageyama." Hinata stares at the ceiling above him. His thoughts are swirling from Yachi's confession and he feels uncomfortable with his emotions. Hinata hears Kageyama grumble below him. Kageyama tries to pull his blanket over his head to ignore Hinata. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" Hinata leans over slightly to stare at Kageyama with knit brows. 

"What is it? The others are sleeping." Kageyama murmurs under his covers. 

"I need some advice." 

Kageyama must've noticed Hinata's uneasy tone. Hinata watches Kageyama pull his blankets down. His dark blue eyes glare at Hinata in the darkness. "If it's about volleyball, I'm going to hurt you." Kageyama says through clenched teeth. 

"No, it's about something else." Hinata runs his fingers through his messy orange hair. Kageyama waits for him to continue speaking. Hinata inhales sharply, clenching his hand on his blanket. "Yachi confessed her feelings to me." Hinata's voice wavers when he say those words aloud. He feels a heat creep onto his cheeks.

"What?!" An unexpected voice startles Kageyama and Hinata. Hinata's eyes meet Yamaguchi from across the room. Yamaguchi sits up straight and gawks at him. "Yachi confessed to you Hinata?" He whisper yells from across the small room. Kageyama looks just as surprised from the bottom bunk, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Who knew there was someone who is interested in an idiot like you." Kageyama murmurs under his breath.

"I can hear you!" Hinata grumbles.

"So what did you say to her?" Yamaguchi looks at Hinata earnestly. Hinata lowers his head, cheeks red. His hand rubs the back of his neck with drooping shoulders. "I didn't say anything..." Hinata says with pursed lips. 

"What?!" Kageyama and Yamaguchi both whisper yell in unison. Tsukishima sighs, rolling over to his side to face the wall. "You all are horrible." The three tense from Tsukishima's grumble. Now that everyone is up, there's no point in whispering anymore. 

"What do you mean you didn't say anything to her?" Yamaguchi pesters Hinata. 

"I was trying to process her words and before I knew it, she was telling me to just focus on volleyball and she ran off." Hinata ruffles his hair in irritation. 

"Do you like her Hinata?" Tsukishima quietly asks the question in the silent room. Hinata stares at his blanket in deep thought.

"The answer should easily come to you." Kageyama comments. His voice much softer now. "When you think of her, does your stress go away?" He asks. Hinata thinks about Yachi. Her kindness sticks out to him. Even though she's not on the volleyball team she would stay behind to help him practice. She was extremely smart as well and would offer to help him study during lunch break. The further Hinata thinks about Yachi, he starts to understand Yachi's feelings. Hinata's never thought anything of it but Yachi goes out of her way to support him. He mistaken her kindness as an overly supportive friend but it's much more than that. Hinata starts to remember Yachi's expression from earlier tonight. The determination and glow in her eyes when she confessed to him. His hand slowly grips onto his shirt over his chest. 

"Agh." Hinata lets out a painful groan under his breath.

"Hinata?" Yamaguchi raises an eyebrow when he looks at Hinata's scrunched face. Tsukishima clicks his tongue together, annoyed about everything happening to him tonight. "Do you understand your feelings now?" Kageyama looks over at Tsukishima's back, noticing how he's more irritated tonight than usual. 

"W-What should I do now?!" Hinata panics to the others. Yamaguchi tenses and shrugs. "I've never been confessed to so I can't help you there." Yamaguchi lowers his eyes over to Kageyama. "Kageyama is the only one who's had any dating experience." Hinata jumps down from the top bunk and hovers over Kageyama. Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima are taken aback from Hinata's action. Tsukishima tiredly sits up and looks over at Hinata with a glare. "What should I do Kageyama?!" Hinata pleads, sitting himself down on the edge of Kageyama's bed. Kageyama runs his fingers through his hair, his bangs falling over his face. His expression distant when he thinks about his past relationship with Y/L/N. 

"Why would you ask advice from someone who couldn't properly be in a relationship." Tsukishima eyes Kageyama with a glare. Kageyama returns Tsukishima with a glare of his own. The room grows tense and Yamaguchi tries to steer the conversation away. 

"H-Hey, let's focus back on Hinata here." Tsukishima pulls his blanket off and sits at the edge of his bed, his fingers gently grazing against the band-aid from earlier. Kageyama lowers his eyes down to Tsukishima's knee and notices the familiar smiley face band-aid. 

"Obviously you have to go tell Yachi how you're feeling right now." Tsukishima says, getting up and walking over to the door. "She's probably just as restless as you are right now." Tsukishima waits for Hinata at the door, one hand in his pocket and the other on the door knob. Hinata stands up and follows after Tsukishima, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, you're right Tsukishima." Hinata clenches his hands into tight fists, steering his confidence up. Tsukishima opens the door for Hinata and prepares to close the door after him but Hinata grips onto Tsukishima's wrist. "Wait, come with me for support." Hinata's confidence escapes him as he stands there pleading with Tsukishima. Tsukishima pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, following right after him. 

"Which room is she in?" Tsukishima murmurs under his breath. Hinata scratches the back of his neck, staring at the many doors in the hallway.

"Uhh..." 

Tsukishima no longer has the energy to be angry as he stands there in silence. The sound of sobbing from the living room catches their attention.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Yachi cries profusely in front of you. Your brows crease together and you extends your hands towards her face, your fingers quickly wiping her never ending tears away. "Yachi." You call out to her, pulling her close to an embrace. Your hand gently rubbing her back. "Why are you crying? Hinata didn't say he didn't like you, right?" You softly say beside her. Yachi hiccups between her words. "I know but...not knowing how he feels hurts just as much." She sniffles and continues to cry into your shoulder. 

"Yachi...?" A gentle nervous voice calls out towards the two of you. You feel Yachi stiffen in your hold. Curious to who called out to her, you gently pull yourself away from Yachi. Your eyes widen when you see Hinata and Tsukishima standing there in the middle of the living room. Hinata's eyes waver when he see's Yachi's tear stained face. Tsukishima gently pushes him forward and you take that queue to slip away from Yachi. 

"We'll leave you two alone." You whisper to the two. Tsukishima turns his back around to the two and walks ahead of you. You quickly follow behind Tsukishima, leaving the living room not wanting to overhear anything. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Yachi stares at Hinata nervously, her nose leaking. She fumbles to wipe her snot away and averts her gaze on Hinata. The atmosphere seems suffocating and full of embarrassment. 

"Can I sit here?" Hinata asks Yachi with a soft tone. She nods her head as an answer. The two stare at everything else but one another. Hinata clears his throat, scratching the back of his neck. He slowly parts his lips and whispers an apology first. "If you're crying because of me...I'm sorry." Hinata murmurs. Yachi steals a glance at Hinata's scrunched face. He clenches his fingers into his palms and mentally hypes himself up before looking at Yachi's face. He falters slightly when he's met with Yachi's light brown eyes. His confidence evaporates instantly when he looks at Yachi. The low light of the living room changes the tense atmosphere to something more delicate. 

"I know you told me to not return your feelings..." Hinata's lips grow dry as he ponders on his next words. Yachi quietly watches Hinata, bracing herself for whatever he plans to say to her. Her chest tightens and she feels like her entire body is on fire. "But that wouldn't be fair on my part." Hinata clenches his teeth together. His eyes stay steady on Yachi's. "I'm sorry that I blindly saw your kindness in a friendly way." Hinata pauses before continuing. His pause just gives Yachi more anxiety and she feels like she's leaning over the edge of a cliff from anticipation. "I accept your confession Yachi." Hinata slowly says his words to her. "I'd like to return your feelings." Hinata struggles to say these words without blushing profusely. His confidence seeps away when he darts his eyes to his lap. Yachi breaks the brief silence with a loud sob. She covers her face with her arm.

"Ah?! Why are you crying Yachi? Is that not what you want?!" Hinata panics when he watches her shake in tears. Yachi lowers her arm and looks at Hinata. 

"I-I'm just so happy" She manages to say those words through sobs. Hinata relaxes his stiff shoulders and flashes her a bright smile.

"Jeez, then stop crying." Hinata chuckles, his hands reach towards her face. Carefully he wipes her tears away with his thumbs. Yachi freezes from Hinata's grasp and she silently stares at him. His gentle expression makes her heart skip. Hinata gently pinches her cheeks, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "When did you look so cute Yachi?" Hinata whispers. His eyes gradually travel from her cheeks to her eyes. A bright smile etches on his face. 


	17. Jealousy and Accidents

You quietly follow behind Tsukishima back to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. As you are going to tell him goodnight for the second time tonight, a door opens in front of you. Tsukishima grabs your wrist, pulling you towards him. Your body gently bumps into his chest. His brows knit together briefly in annoyance. "I don't even have my glasses on and I somehow manage to avoid casualties...but here you are." Tsukishima says from above you.

The person that pops out from the door is Kageyama. His expression slightly bothered. He turns to look at you and eyes Tsukishima's hand around your wrist. Frantically you pull your hand back to your side. "What are you two doing?" Kageyama says in a low voice.

"Obviously trying to go back to bed." Tsukishima says nonchalantly. Kageyama avoids Tsukishima's eyes and lowers his eyes to you. "Why are you out of your room?" Kageyama questions you with knit brows. You stiffen from his cold tone.

_Why was he giving you the cold shoulder for? Did you do something wrong?_

"She was with Yachi." Tsukishima cuts into the conversation. Kageyama flicks his eyes towards Tsukishima. "I wasn't asking you." He grumbles.

"I was with Yachi, Kageyama." You interject. "I was trying to go back to bed until you swung the door open. Tsukishima helped me avoid the collision." You answer him softly. Kageyama stares at you directly, trying to see if you were lying to him. But he found no trace of a lie from your eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me..." You walk past Kageyama, wanting to get away from his cold attitude. Kageyama's cold hand tightly grips onto your wrist, stopping you from walking past him. He purses his lips and stares at your hand.

"Is something going on between you and Tsukishima?" Kageyama says with a low tone. You raise an eyebrow, completely confused from his question. The tight grip from Kageyama starts to hurt you and you try to pry his fingers off.

"What's gotten into you Kageyama." You forcefully pull your wrist away from him. A red mark now apparent on your skin. Kageyama grumbles, turning his head towards Tsukishima's knee. You follow his line of sight and sigh under your breath. "I accidentally made Tsukishima trip." You answer him. Tsukishima quietly watches Kageyama with a blank stare. Not wanting to say anything more, you quietly leave the two behind and enter your room. With your presence gone, Tsukishima walks over to Kageyama.

"You know you two are not together anymore, right?" Tsukishima speaks nonchalantly. Kageyama stiffens from Tsukishima's words. Something snaps within him and he glares at Tsukishima. Kageyama grips onto the collar of Tsukishima's shirt, anger screaming from his eyes. "You had your chance Kageyama." Tsukishima speaks in a calm manner. "Y/L/N and you are free to be around whoever you want now. So lay off." Kageyama knits his brows together, growling at Tsukishima. He angrily releases his hold on Tsukishima's shirt, reentering the bedroom.

"I know that." Kageyama says under his breath. "I was the one that told her we couldn't work out. So I know that better than anyone else." Kageyama sounds lifeless when he sits at the edge of his bed. Tsukishima quietly sits on his own bed, staring at Kageyama's broken state. Neither of them say another word for the rest of the night.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

A crease forms on your face when you feel the morning sun rays warm your cheeks. The faint sound of laughter outside the window makes you groggily sit up. Rubbing your eyes you notice that you're the only one in the room. Slowly, you reach for your phone that lays beside your pillow. The time startles you completely awake. It was noon. You groan loudly, throwing the blanket off of you and you quickly walk down the bunk bed steps. Quickly, you freshen up and change into a pair of shorts and a simple white tee. Exiting the bathroom you throw your hair up in a ponytail and slip a pair of socks on before exiting the room.

"Oh, good afternoon Y/L/N." Kiyoko smiles at you when she spots you in the middle of the hallway.

"Kiyoko." You sheepishly say her name.

"Did you get enough rest?" She stops in front of you with her notebook. Nodding your head you purse your lips together.

"I'm sorry for sleeping in. You could've woken me up." You return your gaze to Kiyoko.

"Yachi insisted me to let you sleep in. She caught me up to detail about the events from last night. She felt guilty for making you lose sleep because of her." Kiyoko forms a warm smile and gently pats your shoulder.

_Did Yachi say anything else?_

You wonder how much Yachi really told Kiyoko but you couldn't ask Kiyoko since she's left your side already. Shaking your head back and forth you hurry over to the foyer to slip your shoes on. You place your hand on the door knob and feel the door knob move from under your grasp. You jump back when the door swings open. Yachi and Hinata loudly laugh with each other as they shuffle in. "Ah! You're awake Y/N." Yachi beams when she see's you're awake. Hinata shyly looks at you, lowering his head.

"Sorry if you couldn't sleep well last night because of us." Hinata apologizes to you. You start to feel awkward from Hinata's words. If someone randomly walked past by hearing those words from him, they would definitely get the wrong idea.

"It's okay. There's nothing to apologize for Hinata." You reassure him. The corner of Hinata's lips turn upward and he nods his head.

"Everyone's taking a break right now. If you want, Coach Ukai needs help preparing lunch. He's just out back." Yachi says to you with a smile. "Hinata and I will prepare the rice in here." You tilt your head, looking over at Hinata. "You're helping?" The words slip out of your mouth and you instantly regret speaking your thoughts aloud. Yachi giggles beside him and he bashfully nods his head.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Hinata puffs his cheeks out feeling embarrassed. You answer him with a shrug and a soft giggle. You then slip away from the two and make your way to the backyard.

"Coach Ukai." You call out to him, running over to his side. Coach Ukai tends to a boiling pot over some charcoal when he turns to look at you. "Ah, hello Y/L/N." He grins. "Did you need any help with the lunch preparations?" You ask him, staring over at the table that is littered with cutting boards, bowls, spices, and uncut vegetables. "If you can that would be nice. We're having a hearty lunch today so we'll need plenty of chopped meat and vegetables." You nod your head and make way towards the table. You grab one of the bowls that is full of vegetables and walk over to a faucet to clean them.

After rinsing the vegetables, you make your way back to the table. Grabbing a cutting board, you then sit down on the bench. The sound of the knife hitting against the cutting board fills your ears. Thoughts of last night swirl in your mind.

_Kageyama._

His name pops into your mind and you frown at the thought.

"Are you not enjoying yourself Y/L/N?" A voice calls out to you, startling you. Being a klutz you hurt yourself with the knife. The damage not critical but the cut still hurts nonetheless. You drop the knife, squeezing your finger with your other hand. "Ah! Are you okay?" Suga reaches over to your finger, placing his fingers over your hand. "Wait right here. Let me go get a first aid kit." Suga's warmth disappears from your hand when he runs towards the lodge. You planned to tell him that the cut wasn't horrible but he vanished before you could. Slumping your shoulders you stare at your bleeding pointer finger. A sigh escapes your lips as you wait for Suga to return.

"What did you do this time Y/L/N?" A familiar voice calls out to you from behind. You turn around to face Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. The two covered in sweat from their practice. You purse your lips together, hiding your finger from him.

"Nothing." You lie, staring at Tsukishima. Yamaguchi raises an eyebrow and notices your suspicious behavior. Tsukishima stands in front of you, handing Yamaguchi the volleyball. His piercing eyes notices your tight squeeze on your cut finger. His lips twitch slightly. "Idiot." Tsukishima says under his breath. His eyes scan the table for a napkin. Grabbing one from the pile he extends his hand to you, silently asking you for your finger. Biting your lower lip, you debated whether or not to comply to Tsukishima. You've already troubled yourself to Suga and who knows how many times you've bothered Tsukishima now. Tsukishima sighs and gently reaches for your hand. You lower your hand that's squeezing your finger. Yamaguchi watches the exchange from a distance, a smile wanting to form on his face. Carefully Tsukishima wipes the blood off your finger.

"I can do it myself..." You weakly say to Tsukishima. Tsukishima doesn't say anything while he gently cleans your cut. Suga then comes running over and notices two new faces in front of you.

"Sorry I took so long Y/L/N." Suga stands behind you with the first aid kit. Tsukishima looks over at Suga, lowering his hold on your hand.

"Don't give her a regular band aid." Is all Tsukishima says before leaving the two of you behind. Yamaguchi waves to Suga and you before following after Tsukishima. You purse your lips together, realizing you didn't get to thank Tsukishima before he left. Suga raises an eyebrow, taken aback from Tsukishima's request. He shrugs and turns his attention back to you with a smile.

"Alright let me see that finger." Suga's warm voice relaxes your tense shoulders. You willingly show him the cut finger. With a smile Suga rummages the kit for a band-aid. "It's not as cute as the one you had yesterday but it'll do." Suga rips open the band-aid and you notice the bright neon pink color. Suga carefully wraps the band-aid around your cut. He then carefully raises your finger to his lips, pressing a soft kiss over it. You widen your eyes, cheeks flushed from the sudden action. "I heard your cuts will heal quicker if someone kissed it." Suga says without a hint of embarrassment.

Completely taken aback with what just happened, you stutter your words. "Where did you hear that from?"

"My mom." Suga flashes you a bright smile. You avoid his eyes, feeling the heat in your cheeks travel up to your ears. Suga releases his hold on your finger and closes up the first aid kit.

"Do you do that to everyone?" You ask him shyly, still avoiding his eyes.

"You're the first." Suga says softly. "I was partially at fault that you hurt yourself." You return your gaze to Suga. His eyes stare at you gently and he wears a small smile. "Did I distract you from your troubled thoughts?" You recall Suga asking you earlier if you weren't enjoying yourself. You probably wore an expression that worried him.

"You did. But it came with a price." You raise your band aid finger up and he dryly chuckles.

"That wasn't part of the plan." Suga lowers his head to apologize. "Since I troubled you, let me help with cutting the vegetables." You nod your head and the two of you start to prepare the ingredients for Coach Ukai.


	18. Comfort

An hour passes and a line forms in the backyard. Yachi and Hinata both serve rice to the others while Coach Ukai generously pours the stew over the steamed rice. You distance yourself from the others, eating under a tree not too far from the benches and tables. You feel warmth from holding onto your bowl. The smell of beef and potatoes waft towards you. But you're not feeling hungry at all. Your mind wanders back to last nights event. The way Kageyama gave you the cold shoulder. His reaction towards the smallest thing like a band-aid on Tsukishima's knee. 

_Why is he reacting like this now? Why was he never jealous before when you two were dating?_

_It seems like he's acting more like an overprotective boyfriend a little too late._

You grow slightly angry at the thought. Your eyes glance over to Hinata and Yachi, your feelings bittersweet at the sight. You're happy for Yachi but at the same time; seeing other couples made you jealous. You hate yourself for feeling this way. Wanting a change of scenery, you stand up and make your way towards the lake. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After serving everyone, Yachi makes herself a bowl. Hinata calls out to her, patting at the empty seat beside him. A smile forms on her face and she runs over to be by his side. Her eyes then wander the different tables and she notices a lack of Y/N. Raising an eyebrow she turns to look at Hinata who's stuffing his face. "Did you see Y/N anywhere?" Yachi asks. Hinata shakes his head no, spooning the stew into his mouth. 

Kageyama overheard Yachi from across the table and slyly looks around the area. 

_Everyone is here but Y/L/N._

Kageyama hides his worried expression and leaves the table to look for Y/L/N. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

A sigh escapes your lips while you quietly listen to the water splash against the rocks on the shoreline. You wandered over to the fallen tree stump that Suga found a few days ago. Your bowl no longer warm when you slowly stir the food together. Being alone in the middle of nature just makes you feel more aware of how lonely you are right now. 

You lower the bowl beside you, barely taking any bites from it. You wallow yourself in depression, deciding to just let your tears out since you're alone. There's no one here for you to hide your sadness from. Tears easily fall from your glossy eyes. You quietly whimper and pull your arms together, gently you rub your arms to comfort yourself. Time will heal all wounds is a common quote you heard often.

_But when will the wound in your heart recover?_

_It's only been a grueling month since your break up and you're pretty sure you won't be able to handle many more months of this heartache._

A gentle breeze dries your tears slightly, your hair scatters across your face. 

Kageyama's chest puffs up and down when he stops in his tracks. He sees Y/L/N sitting alone near the lake in tears as he catches his breath. His chest tightening from the scene before him. Kageyama feels guilty knowing that those tears are most likely because of him. He clenches his teeth and forms a fist with his hand. If he went over to her now, he'd only make things worse. But he couldn't just leave her alone like that. Running his fingers through his hair, he tries to figure out an idea but his mind goes blank. He didn't want another guy to go comfort her, as selfish as that is of him. Tsukishima's words from last night repeat themselves in his head. Kageyama knew he had to lay off. Y/L/N and him are no longer an item. 

Gritting his teeth together he turns around, his eyes wavering when he see's someone else who looks just as worried as he did. The person he had his guard on around. 

Sugawara catches sight of Kageyama but he then notices Y/L/N further in the distance. Without a word, Suga runs past Kageyama. Kageyama clicks his tongue under his breath, walking back to the others. 

"Y/L/N?" A shaky voice speaks beside you. "What are you doing out here alone crying?" You slowly open your eyes to see Suga's gentle face next to you. He peers at your face with knit brows. "Are you hurt?" Suga scans your body and face nervously. You nod your head slowly and Suga anticipates your answer. "Where?" He asks. Through your sniffling and sobbing you innocently point to your heart. Suga lets out an exhale, a small smile on his face. "Ah..." Is the only thing Suga can muster to say. "I can't put a band-aid on that, sadly." Suga softly whispers to you, his eyes look slightly defeated. 

Slowly and carefully Suga extends his hand towards you, his hand gently rubbing the top of your head. With gentle eyes he forms a small smile in your direction. "Kageyama did this often didn't he?" 

Your tears seem to stop when you look at Suga. Your memories of Kageyama's gentle touch on your head floods back and you're unsure why Suga brought these memories back. Biting your lower lip, your eyes gloss over again. Suga then runs his fingers through your hair, gently stroking. 

"I'm sorry I can't give you the same comfort like Kageyama did." Suga frowns slightly. His finger grazes against your ear when he tucks your hair behind. The slight touch feels like a sting. "But all I know I can do, is be here for you when you need someone." Suga lowers his hand away from you, scratching the back of his neck shyly. "I wished my mom gave me advice on how to stop a girl from crying." He sheepishly whispers. Your chest feels warm when you feel Suga's kindness from his words. An unimaginable feeling of wanting to show Suga you appreciate his efforts blooms and you acted upon your emotions. 

You collide your face into his chest and nervously wrap your arms around his waist. Suga stiffens from under you and you hear him gasp sharply. The familiar scent of linen and citrus intoxicates your nostrils. Slowly, you feel yourself calm down, your shoulders relaxing. Suga carefully places his arms around you, rubbing your back. His face completely red. You stayed in this position for a few minutes until you've calmed down completely. Slowly, you pull away from Suga and he lowers his hands away from you. His redden face now a light pink. "Do you feel better now Y/L/N?" Suga asks with a shy smile. Pressing your lips together you nod your head, barely meeting Suga's eyes. 

Suga then lets out a loud groan and ruffles his hair. "Thank god. Next time give me a warning if you were going to hug me! I nearly had a heart attack." Suga dramatically exclaims and you feel your shyness be replaced with laughter. You mentally thank Suga for being here for you.


	19. A calm evening

After your meltdown this afternoon, you distract yourself by focusing on the others during practice. You're always amazed at how serious and focused everyone is even though the game is just for practice. Jotting notes down on the other team, you feel a tense atmosphere, your body naturally leaning to the side when a volleyball whizzes past you. The ends of your hair touching the speeding ball. "Sorry!" Bokuto from Fukurodani shouts towards you. You release an exhale from under your breath, jogging over to the volleyball. 

You walk the ball over to Daichi who thanks you. "That was some cat like reflexes Y/L/N." Daichi smirks at you before thanking you. You give him a shy smile before running back to the sidelines. You are surprised yourself that you dodged the ball without seeing it fly towards you.

They resume the game and you quietly observe them. Hinata seems to play the game with more energy compared to yesterday. But that was a given with how the events from last night unraveled. Your eyes then trail over to Kageyama who is beside Hinata. 

His eyes still hold the sharp glare he always had during games. The two have been practicing their combo together and slowly but surely with each practice game, they're sharpening their skills to successfully pull off the combo. You then observe Nishinoya, Daichi, and Asahi. The three having more experience than the two in front. They all excel in their own way but you can tell there's more room for growth. Tanaka shouts for the ball towards Kageyama and you stare at the volleyball that Nishinoya successfully countered. Kageyama calmly tosses the ball over to Tanaka while the others are distracted by Hinata's speed.

You hold your breath, praying that Tanaka will successfully gain a point against Fukurodani. The current lead winner is Fukurodani and this single point will be the deciding factor if Fukurodani wins or the game continues. Anxiety creeps into your palms as you nervously clench onto the pen in your hand. Time seems to slow down as you watch Tanaka roughly smack the volleyball. Your breath hitches when Bokuto rushes over to block the shot. Without fail Bokuto blocks out Tanaka's shot and the loud thud echoes in your ears. 

Fukurodani's team uproars into cheers and you watch your teammates droop their shoulders. Their expressions defeated as they catch up their breaths. "Hey! You guys did great out there!" Suga yells from the sidelines, peeking their attentions. Yamaguchi cheers on the others as well. "We were only three points behind them this time!" Yamaguchi chimes. The others slowly straighten up and a tired smile forms on their faces. 

You place your notebook and pen down, reaching over to grab several water bottles. You carefully run over to the others. "Great game guys." You call out to them and they make their way over to you, grabbing a water bottle from your arms. They each thank you after grabbing a water bottle. The last person to grab a water bottle from you is Kageyama. Your fingers brush against each others briefly, making you nervously pull your hand back. You avoid his eyes and stare at the others. "You're improving more and more in each game. So don't beat yourself up." You try to say something motivational like Coach Ukai but embarrassment seeps into you. "Make sure to get some rest." You stammer out, quickly leaving the group. You hear a few chuckles behind you, feeling your face heat up, you grab your belongings and run towards the lodge.

"We're not the only ones who's working hard." Daichi grins when he watches Y/L/N disappear. Tsukishima hides a smirk on his face, whispering under his breath. "That idiot." Suga overhears Tsukishima and nudges his shoulder. "You're always calling Y/L/N mean nicknames. She's trying her best to take the manager role once us third years leave." Tsukishima purses his lips briefly at Suga's words. "I'm not saying it in a mean way." Tsukishima scrunches his nose, turning away from Suga to head back to the lodge. Suga raises an eyebrow at Tsukishima's words. Curious, he tails after Tsukishima.

"What does that mean?" Tsukishima grumbles under his breath, not wanting to entertain Suga and his questioning. Reaching for the door, Tsukishima pulls it open. He stumbles backwards slightly when he see's you at the front entrance. Suga flashes a smile your way when he spots you. "Are you going somewhere Y/L/N?" Suga asks. You raise a camera up to show the two. "We only have a few days left here so I wanted to take a few photos." Suga's eyes light up from the sight of your camera. "Can I tag along?" 

Seeing how excited Suga is, you couldn't tell him no. "Sure, I'll wait for you to change before we leave then." You step to the side and Suga nods his head, quickly running in to change. Your eyes then meet Tsukishima who's still standing at the front entrance. "Tsukishima?" You call out to him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you coming in?" He seems a bit distracted. His eyes then meet yours and he parts his lips slightly. 

"I'm coming too. Don't leave without me." Tsukishima quickly says those words before slipping past you and into his room. You're taken aback as you watch him disappear. 

_Tsukishima wants to follow you and Suga?_

You feel puzzled at the thought. You've observed Tsukishima often and he does the bare minimum with everything. This is quite a surprise that he wants to tag along instead of resting after today's practice. The others slowly enter the lodge and you briefly greet them. Yachi catches sight of you and notices the camera in your hand. "Are you going out again Y/N?" She asks with a small smile. Nodding your head you answer her.

"Yeah, sunset hour will happen soon. That's my favorite time to take photos." You smile at the thought of the many pictures you'll capture.

"Can I come too?" Yachi clasps her hands together, pleading. 

"Of course. Should you see if Hinata wants to join too? He seemed pretty energetic the last time we went out." Yachi's eyes sparkle at the thought of Hinata and she quickly bolts to look for him. You giggle under your breath at the sight. Suga hurries towards you with a fresh change of clothes, Tsukishima pops out of the room a few seconds later. 

"Oh? Are you coming with Tsukishima?" Suga asks with a smile. Tsukishima nods, sliding his shoes on and the three of you step outside. "We just have to wait on Yachi and Hinata." You tell the two. They both nod in silence. The atmosphere feels slightly awkward and you start to wonder how you can ease this atmosphere. Luckily you hear Hinata run towards the three of you, Yachi following after him. "Alright! Let's go guys!" Hinata seems like he's never out of energy. He takes the lead with Yachi following beside him. 

"I guess let's go?" You look at Suga and Tsukishima. "He's always hyper." Tsukishima sighs under his breath, walking beside you. "And you're always grumpy." Suga jabs at Tsukishima, a giggle escapes your lips and you feel a piercing glare from your right. Not wanting to feel intimidated by Tsukishima's glare, you raise your camera up to snap a photo. He widens his eyes from the surprise and Suga is the one to laugh now. You lower your camera down, pulling up the gallery. The flash reflected Tsukishima's glasses making the image overly bright. You can barely see his face. 

"That's actually pretty funny." Suga continues to laugh when he looks at the image. 

"D-Delete that." Tsukishima barks at you. 

"Fine..." You delete the photo. You feel the awkward air from earlier slowly leaving as the three of you walk together. You look ahead at Hinata and Yachi. The two completely engrossed in each others world. A small smile forms on your face when you stare at the two.

_Young in love._

A moment written many times in stories and a moment captured many more times in art and films. 

You slow your pace, raising the camera above your eye. The beautiful sunset glow creates perfect lighting as you take several snap shots of the two. You slowly move your camera towards Tsukishima and Suga. The two staring off in their own worlds as they walk ahead. Your breath escapes you when you view them from the camera lens. Suga and Tsukishima both notice your absence and they turn around to wait for you. Your finger gently presses on the capture button, ticks from rapid snapshots echoes in the stillness around you. 

Tsukishima notices you taking a photo and he averts his eyes to the ground. Suga has the opposite reaction, he flashes you a warm smile. A smile forms on your own face when you lower the camera. You quickly run back over to them.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Tsukishima asks beside you. You flick through the images and nod your head. Raising your camera over to him, you show him the photo you've just taken. "You look cute here." You nonchalantly say. Tsukishima stiffens from your words when he stares at the image. 

"What about me?" Suga asks curiously. You flick through a few images and share the photo of Suga to him. He grins from ear to ear when he see's his photo. "So that's how I look to you Y/L/N." You widen your eyes briefly, your chest feeling slightly warm. "I-I guess you can say that." You softly reply. Suga extends his hand out to you. "Can I show you how you look to me?" Flustered from his question you hesitate to hand your camera over. 

"It's only fair." Tsukishima jabs at you. "You've taken photos of us, so you should have a few photos of yourself to remember this summer." You droop your shoulders, giving into the two. You hand your camera off to Suga. "Just act natural!" Suga exclaims to you. Suga's words are easier said than done when you stand there awkwardly. You're unsure what to do and that's when you feel a slight nudge from your side. Tsukishima elbows you. 

"Well don't just stand there. That's not natural. Let's keep walking, Suga will catch up." Tsukishima softly says under his breath. You nod your head and quietly walk forward with Tsukishima by your side. You still feel stiff knowing that Suga is carefully watching you through your camera. Deciding to distract yourself, you peer at Tsukishima from the corner of your eye. "What is it?" Tsukishima catches your eyes and you purse your lips together. 

"Why did you suddenly want to join us?" You ask him the question you were wondering earlier. You notice Tsukishima's brows twitch from your question. He holds his deadpan face naturally. "I wanted to see what's so special about the view from up top." Tsukishima pauses before continuing. "Hinata kept flashing his photos he took the other day to us in the room." He slowly rests his eyes on you. "So I wanted to judge the view myself." You stare at him blankly, nodding your head. "Sure." Tsukishima notices your curt response and starts to feel insecure. 

"You don't believe me, do you?" Tsukishima mutters under his breath. You pretend to not hear him when you catch up to Yachi and Hinata. The two already in awe at the familiar view of the lake from afar. You lean over the rail, taking a deep breath. The view is absolutely beautiful. Just like last time. You long forgotten about Suga and your camera as you look out ahead of you. Today's been an extremely long day. From waking up late, to cutting your finger, to crying alone with Suga.

A dragged out exhale leaves your lips. Tsukishima carefully walks over to your right side, leaning over the railing too. You turn to look at him, curious to see his reaction. "What do you think?" You quietly ask him. Tsukishima's eyes waver slightly at the sight. His words seem to have escaped him when he parts his lips open to answer you. 

"Breathtaking, right?" Suga joins the two of you, extending your camera back to you. Taking the camera back from Suga you curiously look through the gallery. To your surprise the images Suga's captured is beautiful. From your stiff expression to your natural expression, you show several different emotions. You return your focus on capturing the view from your position. The others quietly take in the scenery before them. The only sound is the shutter from your camera.


	20. Here's to many new memories

The spring break training flashes in an instant as you place your belongings in the bus. Tonight is the last night here at the lodge and all of the coaches decided to throw a bonfire party. "Are you finished Y/N?" Yachi calls out to you from behind. You nod your head and exit the bus. You walk over to Yachi and she takes your arm, the two of you joining up with the others by the bonfire. Your eyes scan the huge crowd and you notice a few entangled arms within the crowd. 

"Looks like you weren't the only one to confess during this break." You whisper into Yachi's ears. She notices a few new couples and her cheeks flush. Yachi gently tugs on your arm with a pout. You giggle at how adorable she is. "I'm proud of you Yachi." You look over at Yachi with a small smile. Yachi purses her lips together and forms a small smile of her own. "Thanks"

"Shouldn't you go find Hinata instead of hanging around a single girl like me?" You tease Yachi and she shakes her head. "I can hang out with him later, I haven't spent much time with you at all. You're the reason why I'm here Y/N." Yachi looks directly at you. "Let's find a spot to talk." Yachi pulls you over to a log bench that sits near the bonfire. "How have you been these past two weeks?" Yachi asks when the two of you sit down. Your eyes glance over to the warmly lit fire in front of you. The warm glow flickers in your eyes. 

"Physically well but emotionally..." You press your lips together and sigh. "I would be lying if I told you I'm not depressed seeing everyone hook up." Your eyes then turn to look at Yachi. "But I'm really happy for you Yachi. I don't want you to feel guilty about feeling happy and in love." Yachi quietly listens to you, nodding her head with a small smile. Your eyes downcast to your hands and you stare at the band-aid wrapped around your finger. You had replaced the one Suga put on you with one of your own after you had showered. 

"Are you willing to fall in love again Y/N?" Yachi carefully asks you the question. You freeze from her words, carefully thinking about her question. 

_Are you?_

Your heart doesn't waver from Yachi's question. You fear the pain of heartbreak. You're pulled away from your thoughts when a shadow towers over you. You slowly look up to see who it is. Tsukishima stares at you with his usual blank stare. "D-Did you need something Tsukishima?" Yachi speaks up from beside you. His eyes slowly turn to meet Yachi's. 

"Hinata is looking for you." He softly says. 

"Oh?" Yachi stands up and apologizes to you before leaving to find Hinata. You expect Tsukishima to leave after he's told Yachi about Hinata, but you watch him sit beside you. His hand extending you a soda can. Raising an eyebrow you thank him for the drink. Your nerves slowly tense up. "I lied." Tsukishima speaks up in the silence. Tilting your head, you look at him. "You had this uncomfortable look on your face so I thought you needed a way out of the conversation with Yachi." Tsukishima nonchalantly says, turning to face you. The warm glow of the bonfire shadows his face profile. You're taken aback from Tsukishima's words. 

"That's very unlike you." You say under your breath, looking down at the soda can in your hand. Tsukishima purses his lips, averting his eyes from you. "How would you know?" Tsukishima retorts under his breath. Turning your attention back to Tsukishima, you stare at his side profile. "Because I keep an eye on you Tsukishima." You watch Tsukishima stiffen slightly, his eyes grow wide for a second before he calms himself down. "You always do the bare minimum and never anything more if you can have it your way." You anticipate for him to speak back but he doesn't, so you continue. "Compared to the others, you're stubborn. That's also including your drive to grow your skills. But, I know you've been practicing when the others are not around." 

Tsukishima slowly turns to look at you, you feel nervous now that he's staring directly at you. "You were off practicing alone the night Suga and I were hiding in the bushes, weren't you?" Tsukishima silently stares at you and nods his head in response. "You've been making a lot of effort these past two weeks Tsukishima. The others might not have noticed the small change but I have." You soften your voice as you nervously prepare to compliment him. "Good job." Your voice squeaks slightly when Tsukishima's golden brown eyes stare directly at you. 

He puffs his cheeks out slightly. "I didn't need to hear a compliment from someone who's so absent minded like you." Tsukishima snaps back lightly. "But, thank you Y/L/N." You watch Tsukishima briefly smile and his expression surprises you. 

"Who knew you could smile." Your inner thoughts escape your lips and you watch Tsukishima knit his brows. 

"I'm not a robot. Of course I know how to smile." He scoffs under his breath, standing up. "I'm going back to Yamaguchi." You watch Tsukishima leave and you swear you witnessed him blush slightly. Now alone with your thoughts, you open the soda can in your hand and take a sip. The crackling of the wood pops in your ears and relaxes your body. You're surrounded with so many people and yet you feel lonely. Fighting back the dark gloomy thoughts that linger in your mind, you look up to the stars. A friendly face enters your view. Suga looks down at you with a smile and you feel your anxiety evaporate from his gentle expression. You turn around to look at him. 

"I see you're alone again Y/L/N." Suga says to you, his hands in his pockets. "Want to go to the lake one more time?" You stand up and follow Suga. The two of you make your way over to the slumped over tree. "Here, give me your hand." Suga extends his hand out to you when he climbs up first. Shyly, you grab hold of his hand and the two of you walk further down on the trunk where the water isn't as high. You then sit down beside Suga and he releases hold of your hand. Suga releases a dragged out exhale, a bright smile on his face when he looks out towards the moon. "I'm going to miss this view when we head back home." You nod your head in agreement, taking a sip from your soda can. 

"This trip flew by." You comment. Suga nods his head in agreement. "A lot happened, didn't it?" Suga keeps his eyes ahead when he asks you. You stare at the darkness of the lake and softly answering with a yes. Kageyama hasn't approached you after the night of his jealousy behavior. Your eyes don't meet during volleyball practices either. You figured he's ignoring you for the better. 

"There's some positives that came out of this trip." Suga lightens the mood when he looks over to you. You raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "Our friendship is growing." Suga whispers those words as if it's a secret. "That's pretty exciting if you ask me." He grins from ear to ear. Suga's smile is infectious as you form a small smile. He then exhales, drooping his shoulders. "If only we could've met sooner. We would've had more time to make memories." Suga frowns slightly. "But it looks like I'll just have to appreciate my last high school year even more than I planned." 

You always forget that Suga is a third year. His friendliness towards you made you forget that he was your senior. 

A feeling of sadness washes over you as you now realize that you'll find yourself lonely again when Suga graduates. You'll have Yachi of course but you wanted Yachi to enjoy her high school life with Hinata. You didn't want to interfere in their high school romance. You then remember the sole reason you came to Karasuno high. It was because of Kageyama. Regret is the single word you thought of. Tears litter your face and Suga panics at the sight.

"Ah! I didn't mean to make you feel sad, Y/L/N!" Suga ruffles his hair, unsure what to do. "I didn't mean to make you feel guilty. We have plenty of time to make memories before I graduate. Besides, we can hang out after that too." Suga spits out sentence after sentence as you sniffle beside him. You voice your honest thoughts to Suga. "I don't want to be alone." Your words slightly caught in your throat. A few tears melt onto your lips and you taste the saltiness. Suga purses his lips together with furrowed brows. He speaks in a gentle voice, "Hey. You won't be alone. You'll have Yachi and the other volleyball members there." Suga gently squeezes your shoulder. 

"But." You bite your lower lip, turning to face Suga. "They're not you." Suga widens his eyes, his jaw drops and you watch his cheeks turn a shade red. "W-Well." 

"Their kindness can't be compared to yours." You're suddenly spewing your feelings out to Suga. "You always seem to appear whenever I'm at my lowest and I don't know how you do it." You sniffle in between words. "Whenever I have anxiety and you appear before me...it all seems to go away. I don't know what it is. But, Suga..." Your eyes waver when you look directly into his hazel eyes. "Thank you for being my friend." Tears continue to trickle down your face as Suga stares at you in disbelief. His mind slowly processing all of your words. 

"That's probably the nicest thing I've heard someone say to me." Suga chuckles under his breath. Suga extends his hand towards your face, gently wiping away your tears that never seem to stop. Suga doesn't give up as he continues to clear your tears away. His warm fingers graze against your cheeks. "Let's not think about the future and just live in the now Y/L/N." Suga speaks in a low tone. His voice sends a chill down your spine. "From now on, we have to make a lot of memories before I graduate. Deal?" Suga cups your face in his palms, lifting your face up slightly so you're looking him in the eyes. His thumbs gently stroke your cheeks. He anticipates your answer and you stammer out an okay. 

Suga forms a sweet innocent smile towards you and you feel his hands leave your face. The warmth still radiating on your cheeks. "Here's to many more memories and hopefully less tears." Suga extends his pinky out to you and you wrap your small pinky around his long one. Suga doesn't hide his happiness as he wears a bright smile. Gently he places his free hand on the top of your head, stroking your hair. The sweet gesture warms your heart as the two of you smile at one another. 


	21. Bento box trade

Spring break has up and left and the semester is back in session. The sound of chatter and quick footsteps surround you when you change out of your outdoor shoes. You noticed on your walk to school many new couples along the way. It seems like everyone's had an eventful spring break. A crowd of squeals pulls you out of your thoughts and you glance over to the noise. Kageyama walks past the lockers with his milk carton in hand, a flock of girls behind him. You can hear their pounding hearts from this distance. 

Kageyama pays them no attention when he walks past you. Nervously, you avert your gaze. Closing your locker you try to appear as small as possible when you weave your way through the crowd. With a sigh under your breath you make your way to a clear part of the hallway. 

"I see the King himself has made a scene." A voice speaks from in front of you. The familiar monotone voice you're starting to hear more of. Your eyes look up to Tsukishima. His brows furrow at the crowd in the middle of the hallway. "Why do I have to share a homeroom with him..." Tsukishima drags out a sigh. 

"Good morning to you too Tsukki." You softly say to him. Tsukishima seems taken aback from the nickname. A few of the volleyball members being the only ones to call him that. You expected him to correct you, but he only adjusts his glasses and nods his head. He whispers you a good morning before leaving. The outer corner of your lips pull into a smile when you watch him walk off. The first bell rings throughout the school and you hurriedly enter your homeroom. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Lunch time rolls around and you received a text from Suga to meet him by the track field. With your bento box in hand you make your way over to the track field. It's been awhile since you willingly came here. You quicken your pace not wanting to make Suga wait too long. Your eyes land on a gray haired guy who sits alone in the bleachers with his bento box beside him. A smile forms on your face and you make your way over to Suga. "Sorry, did I make you wait long?" You call out to him, walking up a few steps and sitting down next to him. Suga brightens when he see's you, shaking his head. 

"Not long at all." Suga moves his bento box over and pats you to come closer. Shyly you inch closer to him. "Are you not going to eat with the others?" You curiously ask Suga when you unwrap the cloth that covers your bento box. "They'll be fine without me there. Besides, what did I say yesterday Y/L/N?" Suga turns to look at you with a gentle smile on his face. Your cheeks turn a shade pink as you know very well what Suga is hinting towards. The two of you planned to make more memories together. Clearing your throat, you open your bento box. Suga lowers his eyes to your box and starts to drool. 

"Is that tonkatsu?" Suga's eyes sparkle and you nod your head. 

"My dads specialty." You beam at the thought of your dad. "It's actually the only thing he can really cook." A giggle escapes your lips and you scoot your bento box over to Suga. "Do you want to try some?" Suga enthusiastically nods his head, thanking you before picking a piece up with his chopsticks. A loud crunch fills your ears when Suga takes a bite. His happy expression makes you smile. "This is so gwood!" Suga tries to speak while swallowing the piece down. You stifle a giggle. "Swallow your food first Suga." Suga lowers his head to apologize and recollects himself. 

"I've never had such a satisfying crunch from a tonkatsu before." Suga compliments dads tonkatsu for nearly five minutes before he opens his bento box. You spy a grilled mackerel laying beautifully over a bed of rice and adorably cut shaped vegetables. "That's super cute." You say beside Suga. He blushes slightly and scratches the back of his neck. "Thanks, the others usually make fun of me for cutting the vegetables in those shapes." You raise your eyebrows with slightly wide eyes. "Wait, you made this yourself?" Suga nods his head with a small smile. "My parents are usually too busy so I make my own bento boxes." 

You purse your lips together and stare at your bento box. You're lucky enough to have one made for you every morning by your parents. Distracted, you envision Suga waking up early in the morning preparing his bento box. He must wake up extremely early since he squeezes time in for volleyball practice before homeroom. Suga raises a piece of the mackerel towards your lips and gently presses it against your lips. Startled from your thoughts you look at Suga. "Since you shared a bit of your food, take a bite of mine." 

You part your lips slightly and Suga places the fish into your mouth. You feel the heat in your cheeks as you slowly munch on the soft mackerel. The light flavor tastes wonderful. Suga anticipates your response and you nervously look at him with pink cheeks. "It's not oily at all and the taste is gentle on my tongue." You surprise yourself for saying something so sweet when the only thing on your mind is the fact that you ate off the same chopsticks as Suga. Suga brightens from your comment and relaxes his stiff shoulders. "I never shared my food with anyone so I was nervous that you'd hate it." Shaking your head you reassure him that his cooking is great. 

"Do you want to trade lunches Suga?" You ask him, holding your bento. Suga raises an eyebrow and purses his lips. "Are you sure? Yours is much tastier than mine Y/L/N." 

"I'm sure. I can always ask my dad to make me more if I wanted. Besides, I'd like to try yours more." You sheepishly say. Suga takes your bento box from you and places his on your lap. "Thank you Y/L/N. Let's eat before lunch break ends." Suga smiles at you, excited to dive into your bento box. You stare at Suga's bento box on your lap, excited to try more of the mackerel and the vegetables. Warm thoughts of Suga preparing his bento box floods your mind as you quietly eat beside him. After the two of you finish eating, you wrap the bento box with the cloth and prepare to head back to class. Suga follows beside you, patting his stomach with a content look. 

"I'll never forget this lunch." Suga grins to himself and you can't help but smile when you look at him. Nervously you call out to him. "If you want...I can start bringing you a bento box. That way you'll have more time to sleep in." You sheepishly say to Suga while nervously tucking stray hairs behind your right ear. Suga quietly looks at you, his cheeks turning a shade pink. He tries to stammer out a response but his words seem to fail him. "Of course my parents will be the ones mostly helping since I don't know my way around the kitchen that well." You fumble out a few words to ease your anxiety. 

Suga watches you nervously fall apart, a low chuckle escapes his lips. "I'm sure whatever you make me will taste fine Y/L/N. I'll take you up on that offer but with one condition." You tilt your head slightly, turning your head to look at Suga. 

"One condition?"

"You'll let me make our bento boxes once a week." The thought of trying Suga's cooking again excites you but you calmly control your emotions.

"Okay." You answer Suga with a smile. "Just tell me when you're making it then." Suga nods his head, trying to hide his own wide smile. The two of you return to the school building with silly grins and full bellies. 


	22. Excitement and Nervousness

The next morning you wake up earlier than usual. Excitement fills your body when you quickly walk down the stairs. Mom is the first one to see you, a surprised expression on her face. "You're up early Y/N." Mom lays out three bento boxes on the table. You open one of the cabinets and grab an extra bento box, placing it beside yours. She notices the extra box and curiosity forms on her face. "Should I make the rice?" You ask her while you walk over to the bag of rice. 

"Did you need a second lunch to eat?" Mom asks you curiously and you shake your head. 

"I promised to bring Suga a bento box from now on." You pour out four cups of rice before running water in the bowl to clean the rice. Mom raises an eyebrow, grabbing a pan out. "Suga?" 

"He's a senior of mine." You say to her, opening the rice cooker up and placing the bowl inside. Pressing the 'cook' button you walk over to the fridge and pull out a few eggs. "Oh?" Mom's tone seems more high pitch and you look over to her while cracking the eggs into a bowl. "Before your imagination runs wild- we're friends." You know exactly where her thoughts are running to. You lower your eyes to the bowl, whisking it with a pair of chopsticks. "I'm not ready to fall in love again." You whisper to her. After whisking the eggs into a beautiful yellow, you hand the bowl over to your mom. Mom stares at you with a look of concern. 

"You do know you can't control when love appears in front of you, right?" You watch her pour the eggs into the oiled pan. You ponder on her question for a bit. Of course you knew that. But as of right now, you're just going to take each day one at a time. You're not going to go out of your way to find someone to fall in love with. Dad walks into the kitchen with a smile on his face when he notices you and mom in the kitchen. "Good morning you two." Dads voice pulls you out of your thoughts. He walks over to you and gently kisses your head before turning over to mom, gently placing a kiss on her cheek. You stare at your parents, wondering how the two became a couple. But you're pulled out of your thoughts when mom calls you for assistance. The two of you busily prepare the bento boxes with other side dishes. The main entrée is the grilled salmon that you carefully placed over the bed of rice. 

"Who's the other box for?" Dad asks, taking a sip of his coffee. 

"A senior of Y/N. Suga was it?" Mom says cheekily. Knowing the topic will startle dad. "S-Senior?" Dad chokes a bit on his coffee. 

"Mom!" You knit your brows together, slightly nudging her side when you walk over to the counter to cover the boxes. "He really enjoyed your tonkatsu yesterday." You change the topic, busying your fingers by wrapping the cloths over each bento box. 

"He must be special if you shared my tonkatsu with him." Dad forms a smile on his face when you look up at him. "You wouldn't even share any with me when we would have extras." He chuckles. You feel your ears heat up and you avoid eye contact with dad. "Whoever Suga is must be extremely special since you've never made a bento box for anyone. Not even Kageyama." Mom whispers Kageyama's name when she speaks. You press your lips together at the thought. Dad notices your silence and places a hand on your shoulder, giving you a slight squeeze. 

"You should hurry and get ready for school. Make sure Suga eats every single bite of his lunch today." Dad flashes you a smile and you nod your head. Quickly, you grab the boxes from the counter and hurry over to the front entrance, sliding your shoes on and fumbling to get your backpack over your shoulders. With a quick goodbye you close the door behind you and make your way to school. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Lunch time finally rolls around and you couldn't be more excited to show Suga the bento box you helped mom prepared this morning. Yachi walks over to your desk with a bento box herself. "Did you want to eat with Hinata and I?" Yachi asks. You ponder on the thought before asking her, "You don't mind if Suga comes too?" Yachi flashes you a smile, "The more the merrier!" The two of you exit the classroom and you send Suga a text to meet up at the courtyard. Yachi notices the two bento boxes in your hand.

"Is the second one for Suga?" Yachi asks curiously. Shyly you nod your head, a small smile forming on your face. Yachi's eyes sparkle when a thought appears in front of her. "I should make one for Hinata too. Thanks for the idea Y/N!" Yachi happily sits down at one of the picnic tables under a tree. You sit across from her and spot a particularly energetic person. Hinata shouts Yachi's name, waving at her with several bags of bread. Hinata notices you and waves in your direction too. Dropping the pile of bread on the table, Hinata makes himself comfortable beside Yachi. 

"Did you get anything else besides bread, Hinata?" You stare at the variety of types and Hinata rips open one. "No, not really. I just grabbed whatever was left." Hinata chuckles, scratching the side of his head embarrassed. Yachi turns to Hinata with eager eyes. "Starting tomorrow I'll make you a bento box, okay Hinata?" Hinata gasps with wide eyes. "Really?! You'd do that for me Yachi?!" Yachi nods her head furiously and you smile at the two in front of you. 

"Ah, sorry. I'm here!" A panting voice says from behind you. Suga takes a seat next to you out of breath."Suga, why are you so out of breath?" Hinata asks between mouthfuls of bread. Suga exhales under his breath, trying to calm down his breathing. "I had to run paperwork over to the teachers lounge." Suga turns his attention to you. "You didn't wait long, did you Y/L/N?" Shaking your head, you place his bento box in front of him. Suga forms a wide smile when he looks at the bento box in front of him. His fingers busily unwrap the cloth and unveils the lid. Yachi and Hinata both seem intrigued as they gasp at the food inside. 

"Wow..." Suga seems in awe at how carefully everything is placed in the box. "Did you make that all yourself Y/N?" Yachi asks, her eyes sparkling from the food. 

"N-No. My mom helped." You start to feel nervous when everyone stares at the bento box. Suga thanks you for the food before taking a bite. His expression turns into bliss and joy. You smile from his reaction, relaxing your shoulders. Hinata grins when he see's the silly ketchup expressions on the rolled eggs in the bento box. "You must've put a lot of time in to make Suga's lunch." Pursing your lips together you lower your eyes, opening your own bento box to eat. 

"I feel like I should step up my game." Yachi giggles besides Hinata. Hinata turns to look at Yachi with a smile. "I'll eat whatever you make Yachi. Even if it's burnt." Hinata grins and Yachi blushes beside him. The two converse to one another while you and Suga quietly eat your lunches. You were nervous all morning during class, wondering if Suga would enjoy his lunch. Now you can relax knowing he's enjoying it. 

"You always seem to surprise me Y/L/N." Suga softly says to you, lowering his chopsticks to look at you. You lower your chopsticks, raising an eyebrow from Suga's words. "You undermine yourself too much. The food you made today tastes wonderful." Suga stares at you with a gentle expression. "I don't want to be biased but I'd say it's much better than your dads." He snickers under his breath. You're at a loss for words but Suga continues to shower you with compliments. "It's been awhile since someone cooked specifically for me. So, thank you Y/L/N." Suga extends his hand towards your head, gently stroking. His finger tips gently graze through your hair as if you were a fragile porcelain doll. Feeling too shy from his kindness you tense up. Suga notices and pulls his hand away, a dry chuckle escapes his lips before he returns to his food. 

Yachi notices the exchange and a cheeky smile forms on her face. The four of you finish up your lunch and exchange goodbyes before heading back to your own classes.


	23. What are your feelings?

With the nice weather you're having, the team decides to practice outside today. School is now over with and you're helping Kiyoko set the net up outside. "So, I heard you're a great cook." Kiyoko says to you from the other end of the net pole. You widen your eyes briefly. "W-Where did you hear that from?" You nervously ask Kiyoko. She giggles under her breath and the two of you walk over to a bench, waiting on the others to arrive. "Suga wouldn't stop talking about it in class. He was smiling from ear to ear." Kiyoko smiles when she thinks back to the moment. The corner of your lips tug into a small smile at the thought. 

"I didn't know you two were close." Kiyoko whispers, not wanting the members who are arriving to hear. You tuck your hair behind your ear, lowering your eyes. "Suga's a friend I learned to rely on." 

"It's a nice feeling to know you have someone like that." Kiyoko smiles to herself. You silently nod beside her. Coach Ukai greets the two of you before calling out a huddle to the others. "Alright team, I hope you've all learned a thing or two from your enemies during the spring training camp. We'll have official matches within the next few weeks so we can't slack off." 

Their first official game will start next week and the team they're against will be no other than Nekoma High. You flip through your notebook to a page you've written on Nekoma High. Your notes were mainly focused on a certain setter. 

_Kozume Kenma._

From your observation of him, he tries to not stand out but he still caught your attention on the court. 

Despite his height, he makes a threatening setter with how well he works with his teammates. A silent killer is the nickname you wrote beside his name. Your eyes scan the next line Tetsurō Kuroo. His devilish smirk shakes you up a bit when you remember him. A hand comes into your view and you feel your notebook slip away from your fingertips. Pulled out of your thoughts you look up and see Suga reading your notes. Feeling embarrassed seeing your notes being read, you reach up for your notebook.

"Wow, you're really detailed." Suga says nonchalantly, still scanning over your notes and flipping the pages. He seems more intrigued on the new page, a shy expression creeping onto his face. Noticing his distraction, you quickly grab your notebook away from him and Suga doesn't put up a fight. Suga excuses himself and runs back over to the volleyball members. You feel frazzled from his response and stare at your notebook on the page Suga was reading. You mentally cringe when you notice he read your observation on him. The last note you've written under Suga is, "I hope to see him in more games." Pressing your lips together, you close your notebook and focus on the practice. 

Coach Ukai divides the team into two and they begin a practice match. You silently observe the members newfound growth. Your eyes always seeming to follow Suga. With Kageyama as the main setter, Suga hasn't been able to enter many of the matches during the spring training camp. 

Holding your breath you notice Suga is planning to do a setter dump but your eyes tear away from a surprising middle blocker. Tsukishima. 

_When did he run over to block Suga?_

You stare at Tsukishima's focused expression. He calculates everything with his eyes and you can see that from his calm facial expression. Your breath escapes when Tsukishima blocks Suga's dump with such a calm and collected face. Suga stares widely at Tsukishima, his jaw ajar. "Wow!" The others all seem to be just as taken aback. Clapping from your seat you catch Tsukishima's attention. 

"That was so cool." You stare at Tsukishima with sparkling eyes. Tsukishima lowers his eyes from you, the corner of his lips wanting to curl into a smile.

"It was nothing." Tsukishima says under his breath. You're too far to hear him but you figured it was something cocky. 

"Looks like we have to step up our game." Suga turns around to look at his teammates. Daichi nods his head, a fire in his eyes. Practice goes on like this until dusk. You help the others cleanup before heading home. Yachi stops by after her club activities to walk home with Hinata. You wave at the two and start to make your way home. A monotone voice calls out your name from behind you. You turn around to look up at Tsukishima.

"Will you be alright walking home?" Tsukishima looks at you directly. His face mostly covered by the shadows of the dark. The way his glasses reflect the small light of the streetlight makes him look mysterious. You raise an eyebrow, alarmed that Tsukishima was worried for you. "I'll be okay." Your voice comes out shaky when you reply to Tsukishima. He stands there for a few more seconds in deep thought. Another voice calls out your name and you see Suga running up to you. "Y/L/N, it's dark out. You shouldn't walk home alone." Suga forms a gentle smile towards you, he then looks over to see Tsukishima. "Oh, were you going to walk her home Tsukishima? That's kind of you." 

Tsukishima bites his bottom lip and curtly turns around, mumbling to himself. Suga and you stare at Tsukishima's back as he walks away. "Oh...kay? Let's walk home together, Y/L/N." Suga turns back to you with a smile on his face, he slides his hands into his pockets and waits for you to lead the way. Pursing your lips, you stare at Suga. "Is your house in the same direction? I'd feel bad if you're walking further away." Suga dryly chuckles and ruffles your hair gently. "It'll be okay. Now, let's go. Your parents will be worried." You don't feel at ease knowing Suga is going out of his way, but you have no choice when Suga nudges you along. The sound of running footsteps behind you makes you nervous and you turn around to see Tsukishima with a determined expression. 

"I'm coming too." He says under his breath. 

"The more the merrier!" Suga brightly smiles as the two both stand beside you. You figured this would be better since Suga and Tsukishima will have one another to walk home with after they dropped you off.

"That block you did today is amazing Tsukishima." Suga fills the silence with a compliment to Tsukishima. "Yeah, you looked really cool." You add in. Tsukishima replies with silence but you and Suga notice his face relax. A smile tugs on your lips from how shy Tsukishima is to show his expressions. The remaining walk home is calm with your small conversation with Suga. Tsukishima remained quiet the entirety. You slow your steps and stop in front of your house, turning to face the two.

"Thank you for walking me home. Make sure to get back home safely you two." You smile at the two and Suga returns your smile with his own. Tsukishima silently nods. "Text me when you get home safely." You turn around to unlock the front gate and a hand grabs onto your wrist. Raising an eyebrow you see Tsukishima's hand on you. His other hand holds out his phone. 

"I can't text you if I don't have your number, air head." Tsukishima murmurs under his breath. Ignoring the nickname he called you, you grab his phone and input your contact. "There. Don't forget to tell me you're home." You place Tsukishima's phone back into his palm and Tsukishima then lets your wrist go. The front door opens and your dad pops out, his eyes noticing two unfamiliar faces behind you. Your mom then pops up behind him and eyes Suga and Tsukishima. 

"Honey, which one is Suga?" Dad whispers besides mom. She shrugs. "Thank you for walking Y/N home you two!" Mom shouts from behind dad and the two stiffen before waving at your parents. You quickly walk to the front door and push them inside. Before closing the door you wave at the two, shouting a goodnight. 

"So, who were they?" Mom asks with a cheeky smile. Shaking your head, you brace yourself for their questions, sliding your shoes off. "Sugawara Kōshi and Tsukishima Kei." You answer her. Dad gasps at the words of Suga. " Which one was Suga?"

"I'll let you guess." You giggle, walking over to the kitchen from the smell of dinner.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Suga and Tsukishima silently walk side by side back in the direction they came from. The sound of the cicadas and their footsteps fill the nonexistent conversation. Suga tilts his head up to look at the stars above them. A smile tugs on his lips when he remembers the night he looked at the stars with Y/L/N. He notices Tsukishima slow down his footsteps and turns to look at him.

"Suga." Tsukishima's voice seems serious. Suga waits for Tsukishima to speak up before saying anything. Tsukishima's golden brown eyes meet Suga's hazel ones. "What's your relationship with Y/L/N?" Tsukishima's voice is stern and his eyes doesn't waver away from Suga. Feeling confused by Tsukishima's question, Suga blankly looks at Tsukishima. "Let me reword that." Tsukishima takes a step closer to Suga. "What are your feelings towards Y/L/N." Those words slowly slip out of Tsukishima's lips and Suga can only stare at Tsukishima.

The sound of the cicadas seem louder than earlier now. 


	24. Tsukishima's conflicted feelings

Time seems to freeze over when Tsukishima and Suga stare at one another. Suga awkwardly chuckles under his breath, scratching the back of his head. "Where did this question come from Tsukishima?" Suga's voice wavers and he avoids Tsukishima's piercing gaze. Tsukishima lowers his eyes and tightens his hands into fists in his pockets. He clenches his teeth and clicks his tongue.

"I...I've just had this irritating feeling bite at me every time I look at Y/L/N." Tsukishima speaks lowly. "I always find her in my way when I look ahead and seeing her clueless expression just..." Tsukishima clams up. Suga peers at Tsukishima's face and see's Tsukishima scrunch his face together cutting his sentence off. "Despite her being such an airhead, I can't forget that look of desperation she wore when she stepped in between Kageyama and I." Tsukishima slowly relaxes his face when he reminisces. "The look when she was heartbroken also irritated me." Tsukishima runs his fingers through his blonde hair. "But nothing makes me more angry than her not asking for help when she's hurting." Tsukishima lets his feelings out to Suga who stands there in silence. Tsukishima fights with his inner emotions, he struggles to understand these emotions or more like he didn't want to understand them. 

"I can feel myself change and I hate it." Tsukishima murmurs under his breath. Suga carefully places his hand on Tsukishima's shoulder, pulling Tsukishima out of his thoughts. "I hate to say the obvious but...I think you like Y/L/N, Tsukishima." Suga speaks softly and his very words makes Tsukishima angry. Suga watches Tsukishima groan aloud. Tsukishima pulls away from Suga's grip and dashes away into the darkness. Suga slowly drops his hand to his side and stares at the pitch darkness ahead where Tsukishima disappeared off to. Sighing to himself, he runs his fingers through his hair. He never had the chance to answer Tsukishima's question.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The past few days you've busied yourself with the volleyball club and school work. Your mind didn't have time to think about anything else which you were grateful for. You woke up extra early to make a special bento box for Suga. Today is their first official match and you wanted to cheer him on in the only way you can think of. 

Mom tiredly walks into the kitchen in her robe, hair a mess. She stops mid-yawn when she see's you in an apron, busily frying a pork cutlet. "Y/N? When did you wake up?" Mom walks over to you with a surprised expression. Her eyes then focus on the pork cutlet you're frying. "You're attempting tonkatsu?" Nodding your head, you put all your energy into focusing on the color of the panko covered pork that's floating in the oil. You've watched dad make these hundreds of times so you figured it shouldn't be that hard. 

"Don't worry about your lunch. I'm also making one for you and dad. Breakfast is ready too, it's on the table." You say to her, gently flipping the pork cutlet over to crisp on the other side. Mom smiles to herself when she looks at you, making her way to the dining table. After frying all the pork cutlets, you assemble the lunch boxes and busily set everything in. Time seems to escape you this morning so you rush upstairs to change. Your mom waits for you at the end of the staircase, holding out two wrapped up bentos. 

"Tell the boys I said good luck in today's game." She waves you off and you tell her goodbye before running off to school. You stand at the crosswalk impatiently. You plan to hand the bento box off to Suga first thing in the morning to see his reaction but you're unable to cross over the traffic. Once you see the flashing pedestrian sign, you quicken your pace towards the gym. You slow your tracks when a familiar sharp blue eyes stands in front of you. Kageyama seems out of breath and you can only assume he woke up early to get practice in. He silently looks at you before walking past you. 

A cold chill runs down your spine and you bite your bottom lip. Lowering your head when Kageyama walks away. Feeling his presence gone, you walk towards the gym, you then pop your head in to see if Suga is in here or not. Tsukishima is the one in the gym and he notices you when he walks towards the door. "Ah, good morning Tsukki." You say to him with a lopsided smile. Tsukishima notices you're distracted and stares at your full hands. He reaches down to take one of the boxes away from you.

"I'm taking this." Tsukishima blatantly says to you before walking away.

"Hey, that's for Suga." You stammer out but Tsukishima ignores you. 

"What's for me?" Suga says from behind you. Startled you jump a little before facing him. You stare at Suga's damp hair before staring at his school uniform. He must've changed out of his gym clothes when you were looking for him. Raising your hand up, you present him with a bento box. The one you planned to give him had a note attached on the inside saying good luck. "Tsukishima took your bento box, so you can have mine instead." Suga takes the bento box from you with a small smile. He then takes one of his arms out from his backpack strap and fumbles to unzip his backpack. Suga then pulls out a bento box of his own and hands it to you. 

"You can have this one then." Extending both of your hands out, Suga places his bento box in your hands. "I made extra food in case I would be hungry after the game. I'm glad I did." Suga flashes a warm smile towards you. He places your bento box into his backpack and thanks you again for the food. "I'll see you at lunch." Suga reaches over to stroke your hair before leaving. Your heart tightens from his sweet gesture and you look down at the new bento box. A smile tugs on your lips and you hurry off to homeroom, completely forgetting that Tsukishima now has Suga's food.


	25. Tsukishima's Declaration

"Enjoy your lunch everyone." Your homeroom teacher leaves the classroom. Your classmates start to shuffle out of the room heading to the cafeteria or elsewhere to enjoy their lunch. Reaching for your backpack, you unzip it to grab the bento box Suga gave you earlier today. One of your classmates yelp at the front door.

"Where's Y/L/N?" A voice questions them. You overhear your name being called out and look up. Tsukishima meets your gaze and he calls you over. Quickly you get out of your seat and walk over to him. "Where are you eating lunch at?" Tsukishima asks you straightforwardly. Raising an eyebrow you look at him confused. "Are you not eating with Yamaguchi today?" You question Tsukishima, your eyes then notice the lunch that you made for Suga. Tsukishima follows your line of sight and hides the box behind him. 

"He got pulled away by Tanaka and Nishinoya." Tsukishima scrunches his nose, lying. "Well...I'm going to meet Suga at the bleachers by the track field if you want to come along." You return your gaze to Tsukishima, noticing his weird behavior. You aren't brave enough to call him out on it. Tsukishima nods his head and stands to the side to let you lead the way. You step out of your classroom and make your way to the trackfield, Tsukishima right behind you. You can't help yourself for nearly running over to the bleachers as thoughts of Suga's surprised expression when he opens the bento box excites you. 

"Y/L/N? You seem like you were in a hurry to get here." Suga calls out to you from the bleachers. He looks like he just made it here himself. Feeling embarrassed, you tuck your hair behind your ear, pressing your lips together. A smile forms on Suga's face when he see's your innocent expression. Tsukishima then makes his appearance behind you. "Oh! Nice of you to join us Tsukishima." Suga grins, waving for the two of you to come over. Tsukishima nudges you slightly and you make your way up first. The three of you take a seat and Suga and Tsukishima start to unravel the cloth wrapping the bento box. You hold your breath as you watch Suga lift the lid off. He gasps when he sees a tonkatsu laying over a bed of rice. 

"Did you ask your dad to make these for today?" Suga turns to look at you with sparkles in his eyes. You shake your head, a cheeky smile on your face. "I made it. I hope it tastes just as good as my dads." Suga widens his eyes when he hears your words. He quickly picks up his chopsticks and takes a bite. A satisfying crunch fills your ears and you feel anxiety when you wait for his reaction. Suga doesn't say a word as he takes another bite and you can only assume that he enjoys it. You turn your attention over to Tsukishima. He holds onto the note that you written. 

**'Good luck today! ^ - ^'**

You stare at the note with the little doodle you drew on it, your cheeks slightly heating up from how intense Tsukishima is staring at the note. "Tsukki?" You call out to him. He seems a bit frazzled when he's pulled out of his thoughts. "Are you going to eat?" You point at the closed bento box. Tsukishima looks at you briefly before sliding the note into his pocket. He carefully lifts the box open and the smell of the tonkatsu wafts in his direction. His eyes widen from the scent alone. Tsukishima doesn't say anything but you can read his face that he's surprised. You watch him pick up the sliced tonkatsu piece, taking a bite and softly munching. For a quick second you witness Tsukishima's eyes waver. 

"Is it good?" You ask him. Tsukishima raises the tonkatsu towards your lips but you hesitate to take a bite off the same piece. "Find out yourself." Tsukishima mutters to you. "Ah..." You stare at the bitten tonkatsu before you. Tsukishima knits his brows together and you're too intimidated to decline. Opening your mouth Tsukishima inches the piece closer to you and you take a bite. The sound of a satisfying crunch from the panko makes you smile. But you're more amazed that you pulled this off. 

"Wow, did I really cook that?" You say to yourself. Tsukishima finishes off the piece and continues to eat in silence. "I may be bias...but I like yours much better than your dads." Suga says beside you, raising his chopsticks back into his mouth with another tonkatsu piece. Your lips tug into a smile and you thank Suga for his compliment. You then open your bento box and a familiar mackerel over rice stares back at you. 

"It's not as delicious as yours, but I hope you'll enjoy it." Suga says beside you. "You made it, so I'll enjoy it." You say nonchalantly to Suga, taking a bite with a blissful expression. Suga's cheeks tinge a slight pink but you didn't notice. He turns his direction to Tsukishima who's almost finished his entire bento box. "Were you hungry Tsukishima?" Suga looks baffled when he notices the empty bento box. 

"You can say that." Tsukishima curtly responds, closing the lid. "I'm a bit jealous." You stop your hands from grabbing another bite, turning your attention to Tsukishima. A look of surprise etches on your face when you hear Tsukishima voice his feelings. "You're pretty lucky to get a lunch made by Y/L/N." Tsukishima looks at you as he talks to Suga. His golden brown eyes stare at you directly and you can't help but feel intimidated by them. "Thank you for the meal." Tsukishima lowers his eyes and neatly puts everything back before placing the cloth box beside you. "See you two afterschool." Tsukishima stands up, hands in his pockets and he jogs down the steps of the bleachers. 

"That was..." Your words escape you. You're not sure how to describe what just happened. 

"He's acting a bit weird, isn't he Y/L/N?" Suga states your thoughts aloud and you nod your head. 

"Is he worried about today's game?" You face Suga and he scratches the back of his head, dryly chuckling. "Probably." Suga then points to your lunch and ushers you to finish eating before lunchtime comes to a closing.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The remainder of the school day flies by and you're now staring at Nekoma High. Unpleasant memories resurface your mind when you touch your elbow. "Y/L/N, can you give me a hand?" Kiyoko calls over to you and you quickly snap out of your thoughts and run over to her. Tsukishima turns to look at Kageyama's back, glaring daggers at him. Suga notices the deathly glare from Tsukishima and gives him a slap on his back. "Don't fall behind Tsukishima." Suga says with a grin, walking past him. Tsukishima follows behind Suga, rubbing his back. 

"Um, you two should go with the others." You stare at Tanaka and Nishinoya who are scanning the area for lurking Nekoma High volleyball players. "We can't do that! What if someone tries to make a move on you two like last time?!" Nishinoya raises his voice and Tanaka rolls up his t-shirt sleeve. "We can't let that happen again. Not on our watch." Tanaka huffs under his breath. You hear Kiyoko sigh under her breath. The two stiffening from her sigh. "BUT IF IT CAUSES YOU ANY GRIEF KIYOKO WE'LL LEAVE!" Nishinoya and Tanaka both shout in unison, running after the other members. 

"Those idiots." Kiyoko murmurs under her breath, a smirk on her face. "Let's go Y/L/N." Kiyoko walks ahead with a basket of water bottles. You nod your head and follow after her with full hands. 

The school seems more livelier than last time as students and attendees crowd the outside of the gym. Kiyoko and you excuse yourselves from the crowd as you make way inside. A tall figure nearly crashes into you when they try to enter through the same door as you. 

"Sorry!" They shout out. You lower your head to apologize as well for not noticing them. 

"Jeez, Kuroo. Did you not see her?" A softer voice speaks out and you raise your head to see a devilish smirk and a blank expression. You widen your eyes when you see Kuroo Tetsurō and Kozume Kenma stand in front of you. The two players that caught your attention from the Nekoma High volleyball team. "Did you need a hand with that, assistant manager?" Kuroo grins at you. 

"She does not." Tsukishima blocks you from the other two. He turns around and grabs the basket of water bottles out of your hand. Your fingers grazing against one another. "You're such an airhead Y/N." Tsukishima scolds you but you can hardly pay attention to his cold words. 

_Did he just call you by your first name?_

Tsukishima walks ahead and you hurry to follow him. "T-Tsukki wait up!" He lowers the basket with the others that Kiyoko dropped off. "Tsukki did you just call me by my first name?" You stare at his back, confused. "Sorry, it just came out." Tsukishima turns around to look at you. Not looking apologetic in the slightest. Tsukishima must refer to your first name a lot for him to let it slip so naturally. You can only nod your head in response. 

"Well...thank you for helping me. Good luck in the game today." A small smile forms on your face when you look at him. Tsukishima nods his head and you excuse yourself from him. 

"Y/N." 

You stop in your tracks when you hear Tsukishima call your name. 

_There's no way he's saying your first name by mistake this time._

Slowly, you turn around to look at Tsukishima. You falter slightly when Tsukishima stares at you with a serious expression. "Y/N." Tsukishima says your name again, stepping closer to you. You stay focused on his face, anticipating why he's looking at you with such a serious gaze. "If we win today's game, will you spare a moment of your time for me?" Your body tenses from Tsukishima's words and you feel your chest tighten. Anxiety litters your arms and your mind is in haywire. 

"S-Sure." Is the only thing you can muster up to say before Tsukishima turns his back to you. Feeling all your strength leave you, your legs give out from under you and you're now squatting on the floor. The sound of your rapid heartbeat pounds in your ears. Through a panic frenzied train of thought, your mind comes to a conclusion to why Tsukishima has changed. But you're too afraid to accept the idea. 


	26. Nekoma vs Karasuno

Yachi calls over to you, waving her hand wildly when she see's you walk towards her. Your shoulders relax when you see a friendly face. Students and attendees are allowed into the gym now while the team warms up before the game starts. Yachi envelopes you in a tight hug before the two of you sit down in the front row. "I'm so nervous and I'm not the one playing down there." Yachi squirms in her seat as she looks down towards the others. You slowly nod your head, still distracted by Tsukishima's declaration. Yachi notices your silence and peers at your face. You lean back nervously from how close Yachi is.

"Is something the matter Y/N? You seem...distracted?" Yachi scans your entire face and you cover your face with your hands. "I don't know how to explain it to you." You stammer out, feeling nervous from Yachi's curious gaze. A warmth meets your hand and you see Yachi lowering your hands from your face. Her fingers intertwine with yours and she gives your hands a tight squeeze. "I have all the time in the world, so take your time." Yachi flashes you a gentle smile and you feel your nervousness seep away. You're thankful to have a friend like her.

"T-Tsukishima." You purse your lips when you say his name. Yachi leans in, more curious than ever. "What about him?" You can hear the excitement in Yachi's voice. Your brows furrow when you replay the moment earlier in your mind. Shutting your eyes, you slip your hands away from Yachi and rub your temples. Yachi still on the edge of her seat, patiently waits for you to continue.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" A tall slender guy with short honey blonde hair calls out to you. Lowering your hands from your temples, you look up to him, letting out a soft yelp. He's taken aback from your reaction and apologizes for startling you. His facial features reminds you of Tsukishima.

"Sorry, my friend here is a bit distracted. You can have the seat, no one is sitting there." Yachi interjects into the conversation and you mentally thank her. The stranger thanks the two of you and takes a seat beside you. "Anyway, what about Tsukishima?" Yachi turns your attention back to her. "I...It's too embarrassing for me to say aloud." You lower your eyes to the volleyball court. Yachi frowns and pulls on your arm, begging you to tell her. "It can't be that embarrassing. Did he say he was going to give you a confession or something?"

"Confession?!" The stranger beside you yells out. Yachi and you turn your direction towards the guy besides you. He lowers his head in apology. "Sorry for eavesdropping. I just heard you say my little brothers name and I was being nosy..." He awkwardly chuckles.

_Little brother?!_

"A-Are you related to Tsukishima?" Yachi asks nervously and he nods. "The names Tsukishima Akiteru." He raises a peace sign when he introduces himself to you two. You quickly realize how the two are complete opposites. Never in your life can you imagine Tsukishima flashing you a peace sign. "So..what did my little brother say to you?" Akiteru seems just as curious as Yachi and you find yourself in a difficult spot. Thankfully the sound of a whistle distracts Yachi and Akiteru from you.

"Oh the game is starting!" Yachi smiles brightly, she stands up and walks over to the railing to look for Hinata. You and Akiteru do the same. You hold your breath when the volleyball members step into the gym. The crowd on Nekoma's side much louder than the Karasuno side. Hinata turns to look over at the Karasuno bleachers, his eyes scanning for Yachi. When he spots her, a bright smile forms on his face, his spirits raised when he watches Yachi shout for him. Your eyes scan over to Suga. His gentle smile towards the other members tug the corner of your lips. You mentally hope you'll get to see him play today.

Yachi pokes your side, whispering in your ear. "Tsukishima is staring at you." You stiffen from her words, nervously looking away from Suga. Tsukishima flashes you a piercing gaze, he looks a bit irritated. But his eyes doesn't stay on you for long when he notices the person beside you. His eyes widening when Akiteru raises a hand up, waving to Tsukishima.

_They really are relate._

The two teams stand in front of one another, each wishing each other a good game. They then turn to their respective sides on the court.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Nekoma High gained the first win in the first set and now the second set is nearing a end with Karasuno one point away from winning. "AH. PLEASE LET US WIN!" Yachi clasps her hands together, praying. You feel your own anxiety welling up when you look at the players below. Kageyama, Hinata, Tsukishima, Daichi, Asahi, and Nishinoya. Akiteru beside you looks just as nervous. You stare at his intense expression towards the court. The referee blows the whistle and you hold your breath. 

_Kozume Kenma._

His blank expression he wears gives you no room to make a guess on where he's aiming for. Within a second you watch him beautifully send the volleyball up, the sound of a slap rings in your ears. Daichi receives the ball. "Chance ball!" Daichi shouts to the others. He passes the ball over to Kageyama and you anticipate his combo move with Hinata. Your hand clenches into tight fists when you see the small frame of Hinata jump as if he's a spring toy. From your angle, this should score a point to a leading win. But quickly you see Kuroo and Lev both running over to block Hinata. Just like that, Hinata and Kageyama's combo is shut down by the tall blockers. 

Closing your eyes shut, you're too afraid to hear the sound of the ball hit the ground. But to your surprise you hear Nishinoya shout another chance ball. Slowly peering your eyes open, a synchronized attack plays and Hinata and Kageyama attempt their combo a second time. The opposite team seems startled by their move and with this distraction the ball successfully hits on the opposite side. Yachi turns to you with her hands up, the two of you clasping your hands together. "AHHH!!! WE'RE GOING INTO A THIRD SET." Yachi screams with joy while you're physically and mentally feeling two different emotions. 

With the second set complete, the teams rest up for a few minutes before finishing the match. Yachi and you lean back over the railing, staring at the others from above. Akiteru drags out a long exhale, his hand over his chest. "I've never felt such anxiety watching a volleyball game." He forms a fist with his hands, closing and opening them to relieve his anxiety. "Is this your first time watching Tsukishima?" Yachi asks Akiteru and he nods his head. "He didn't want me here but I was curious. He's been practicing endlessly every night and his hard work is showing." Akiteru stares at Tsukishima with a gentle smile. The way he lovingly looks at Tsukishima warms your chest. 

As if Tsukishima knows that you're talking about him, he turns around to look over at the bleachers. Akiteru brightens up when he notices. He cups his hands together and shouts, "GOOD WORK KEI!" You turn to look at Tsukishima and he wears a scowl on his face, embarrassment written all over. Tsukishima turns his gaze over to you and sends you a piercing stare. His hand tightly gripping onto the water bottle. 

"That's a deathly glare Y/N." Yachi shivers beside you when she notices the way Tsukishima is staring at you. You press your lips together, not wanting to let his intimidation get to you. "I can't tell if it's worse than Kageyama's." You murmur under your breath. 

"Sorry for eavesdropping again but...is your name Y/N?" Akiteru turns to look at you. Raising your head up to look at Akiteru, you nod. His eyes slightly widen and he tilts his head. "I've heard Kei say your name really angrily one night when he came home."

"W-Wait, what?" You stammer. 

_Did you do something to make him angry one day?_

"I tried to see what was wrong but he closed himself in his room. He was muttering under his breath like an idiot." Akiteru chuckles under his breath as he remembers the night.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

**A few days before.**

Tsukishima heaves in and out heavily, his legs on fire from the long distant run. He left Suga behind not wanting to spout more nonsense about his feelings. Realization hits Tsukishima when he realized Suga never answered his question. Clicking his tongue, he lets out a groan under his breath. Fumbling in his pockets he grabs the house key, unlocking the door. "This is all Y/N's fault." Tsukishima knits his brows together in irritation. Kicking his shoes off, he mumbles under his breath. "Why did I feel upset when Suga showed up to walk her home." Clenching his teeth he stomps through the hallway. "He just so casually lead the conversation to taking her home and yet...Why didn't I just straight out ask her." 

Too deep in his thoughts, Tsukishima didn't hear his mom and Akiteru greet him home. "He looks angry, mom." Akiteru looks over at his mom with worried eyes. 

"Did volleyball practice go badly? Make sure your brother takes a shower before he relaxes." Mom pushes Akiteru out of the living room. Akiteru playfully whines to his mom before getting up from the sofa, slowly following after Tsukishima. But he's a second too late when Tsukishima enters his room, closing the door slightly rough. Akiteru carefully walks over to Tsukishima's door, placing his ear to the door. 

"God, why am I acting like this?" Tsukishima angrily whisper shouts to himself. "I usually don't care how I speak to others. So why am I second guessing all of my words to Y/N." Tsukishima drops his backpack off at the front of the door. "When did Y/N get into my head?" Tsukishima runs his fingers through his blonde hair. He walks over to his closet, grabbing a white tee with a crescent moon, a pair of boxers, and shorts. "I hate this feeling." Tsukishima weakly says under his breath. His golden-brown eyes stare at the wooden floor beneath him. He knows he's using his anger as a cover up for the mixed emotions he's feeling when Y/N clouds his thoughts. He walks over to his desk and stares at the smiley face band-aid she placed on him the night at the training camp. 

The vision of him towering over Y/N's small frame that night floods back to him. Everything happened so quickly that night. Tsukishima was just walking back to the lodge from practicing with Kuroo and Bokuto. He then felt a soft hand yank him down, causing him to tower over Y/N. Her nervous expression and the way the moon lit her eyes created a new feeling within Tsukishima. One that he's never felt before. 

Tsukishima snaps away from his thoughts, shaking his head furiously. 

"Y/N...you're stupid." Tsukishima whispers into the quiet bedroom. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Akiteru's words bubbles in your mind as you watch the third set match. Your eyes trained onto Tsukishima's back. He's more focused today than usual and you contemplate whether it's because of his statement to you or because this is their first game. The atmosphere within the teams seems to have shifted into a silent war. Both teams not giving up on the volleyball. The first two points are Nekoma High's but that doesn't falter the motivation over at Karasuno's side. Such intensity in the air only makes you more nervous as the game continues on. During the middle of the match the ref blows their whistle. Your eyes widen when you see Suga entering the match, trading places with Hinata. 

"Huh? Why'd they send in Suga? Isn't he a setter?" Yachi questions the sudden swap. "I wonder if they have a trick up their sleeve." Akiteru smirks at the thought. "Right now?" You murmur under your breath. The swap seems risky but you're excited to see Suga on the court. You notice Suga flash a hand signal to the others and they silently nod in response. Racking your brain you try to remember all of their practices. 

_Was there a special move they formed?_

The sound of the whistle resumes the game and Asahi tosses the ball up. Lev receives it without any hesitation and within that instant of the ball soaring back over to Karasuno, Daichi shouts chance ball. "Now!" Suga shouts. As Kageyama receives the ball the entire team forms another synchronized attack. Kageyama tosses the ball towards Suga who is running up towards the net. "W-Wait?!" You blurt out, gripping onto the rail. 

"Their second setter is going for the ball!" Yamamoto screams aloud. But he's a second too late when the volleyball slams onto the ground. You seem to forget how to breath when you stare at Suga. He seems just as startled as you are when he stands there staring at his hand. The others crowd onto him in joy. "W-When did Suga learn to do that?!" Yachi nervously says through her clench teeth. "That was so scary yet cool to watch." You feel an overwhelming amount of joy fill your small frame. Cupping your hands together you shout Suga's name, not expecting him to hear you through the crowd of uproars. 

However Suga looks up from the others, scanning the crowd and spotting you up front. His face turns into a warm delicate smile towards you. Cupping your hands together again you shout, "YOU'RE SO COOL!" Suga's cheek turns a shade pink, he smiles wider before looking away. Your heart beats quicker than usual from the excitement and you mentally pray Karasuno will take the win so all their efforts would not go to waste. 


	27. Tsukishima's Confession

After Suga's secret move, Karasuno seems to be in perfect rhythm gaining two points ahead of Nekoma High. However, Nekoma High is not giving them an easy win when they catch up in points. They're now at match point. Suga returned back to the sidelines and Hinata reenters the match. Yachi squeals when she see's Hinata back up front where he shines brightly. However, with the line up on Nekoma's side, Hinata will need to break through a tall block. You doubt Kuroo and Lev will allow another point escape them. Especially if Hinata and Kageyama will be the one making that point. This final point rides on everything. 

You question if Kageyama and Hinata will attempt their combo during a critical time. Nekoma's team seems to know all Karasuno's tricks by now. You can tell the members are getting worn out from their body language. Yamamoto, Nekoma's ace, serves a high toss. The volleyball speeds through the air and thankfully Nishinoya receives the ball. The team plays it safe and doesn't pull out the combo move. You watch the players run all around the court, each one throwing everything they have into keeping the ball up. 

"Hinata!" Kageyama shouts. "This is it." Yachi says nervously. You, Yachi, and Akiteru hold your breaths. 

**The combo attack.**

Kageyama perfectly executes his toss and Hinata doesn't miss a beat in his part. But like before, Kuroo and Lev are already in their positions to block. Hinata flinches at the realization and he's forced to continue anyway. Kuroo and Lev both wear a dark smirk as the ball successfully gets blocked by Kuroo. But it's too early to celebrate on their end. Daichi saves the ball and a familiar short blonde haired figure swiftly slams the ball over the net before Nekoma High realizes what is going on. The crowd around you seems baffled about the revelation you just witnessed. 

"D-Did...we just win?" You whisper. An uproar fills your ears as everyone around you jump out of their seats. The startled expression in Nekoma High's side says it all. They can't believe it either. "TSUKISHIMA!" Hinata shouts towards Tsukishima, his arms wide open as he starts running over to him. Tsukishima calmly moves to the side which causes Hinata to face plant onto the floor. Coach Ukai applauds the team and starts his motivational speech. "Should we wait outside for them?" Yachi suggests to you and Akiteru. "Yeah, let's head out." Akiteru leads the way and you follow after him. 

After waiting about five minutes, the members start to exit the gym. A few students linger around outside, waiting to personally talk to the volleyball members. You feel a bit dishearten when you see the gloomy expressions on the members from Nekoma High. They must be upset about the result of the game, let alone losing at a home game. You don't have the confidence to talk to them and you doubt they'd want to hear the enemy team cheer them up. Kageyama is the first one to exit out of the gym and you two meet each others gaze. He averts his gaze and walks past you. 

"K-Kageyama." You muster up confidence to call out to him. He doesn't turn around to look at you but he willingly stopped. "Good game today." You nervously say to him, unsure what kind of face he's making. He gives you a small nod and continues to walk away. "HINATA!" Yachi squeals from beside you, running over to his side. "Yachi!" Hinata brightens up when he see's Yachi. Yachi squeals when Hinata envelopes her in a tight hug. "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! WE WON!!" You watch Yachi blush profusely, nodding her head. You giggle at how adorable they look. 

"I wonder where Kei is." Akiteru speaks aloud, eyeing the members who are exiting the gym. You stiffen from the thought of Tsukishima. 

_"If we win today's game, will you spare a moment of your time for me?"_

Tsukishima's words floods back and the color on your face drains. Your heart starts to race at the thought. Suddenly feeling panicked, you excuse yourself from Akiteru and leave the crowd. Not knowing the layout of Nekoma High, you don't walk too far away from the gym. That's when you see Kageyama swarmed with girls at the corner of a school building. Your anxiety leaves you as you watch him from afar. To think a few months ago you two were yelling at one another and you had your first heartbreak. You bite your lower lip to distract the feeling of sadness that wash over you. Your fingers rolling into your palm as you dig your nails into your skin. 

A soft low voice calls out to you but you can't seem to turn around. You start to wallow in your self pity. The soft sound of footsteps stop in front of you. The person you are hiding from is now in front of you. "Of all the times you're in my way, you decide to run this time." Tsukishima speaks calmly but you can tell he's slightly irritated. He looks over your face, noticing your defenses are up. Curiously he turns his head to see what you were staring at. His brows knit together when he see's Kageyama surrounded. "I don't know if I should hate or thank that jerk." Tsukishima murmurs under his breath. Your ears perk up when you hear him speak. 

_What does he mean?_

Tsukishima slowly turns his attention back to you. The piercing golden-brown eyes you are accustomed to is much more gentler now. Taken aback by how gentle Tsukishima is staring at you; you release the tight fists you hold, your palm now indented by your fingernails. Tsukishima purses his lips together, brows furrowed and face scrunched. He seems conflicted and you're unsure what to say. Time seems slower than usual when you stand there quietly, anticipating Tsukishima's words. "Y/N you're annoying." Tsukishima grumbles under his breath.

Raising your eyebrows you stare at Tsukishima dumbfounded. You start to question him but Tsukishima continues. "I don't know if you're naturally an idiot that gets in my way or if you're purposely doing it." Closing your mouth you stare at him in silence, not wavering away from his eyes. Despite his flustered expression, his golden-brown eyes are still gentle. "Despite how air headed you are, you've shown me some admirable sides of you." Tsukishima pauses before continuing. You feel yourself tense up when he stops, your chest starts to tighten up and you feel your heart waver. "The day you stood up against Kageyama on my behalf...I think that's where it all started." Tsukishima lowers his eyes from you and stares at the concrete beneath his feet. He speaks more calmly now. You watch him run his fingers through his hair nervously. 

"What idiot would confront Kageyama and his nasty attitude? That's what I thought about you at that moment. My perspective of you started to change and I didn't know it at first." You purse your lips together as you continue to listen to Tsukishima. Your mind goes blank and you're unsure how to feel at this moment. One thing you know is that this sounds like a confession. "The day where Kageyama embarrassed you in front of everyone, I felt this irritation gnaw in my chest. But I didn't dwell on the feeling for long when I saw you running away in tears. I didn't know you very well at the time so I didn't feel right to be the one to comfort you. That's when I found Suga." Tsukishima releases a sigh under his breath. 

"But that was probably the wrong choice." 

_Wrong choice?_

Tsukishima brushes off his comment and continues. "The feeling went away for a few weeks but it hit me at full force during our spring break. Especially the night you and Suga were eavesdropping over Yachi's confession." You feel yourself wanting to hide when Tsukishima brought up that night. Seeing him tower over you that night startled you but you tried to not think too much on it. Tsukishima doesn't meet your eyes when he ponders on that moment. His ears turn a shade red and he clears his throat. You are too afraid to hear what his thoughts are about that night especially with his reaction right now. 

"I can't explain the feeling I had when..." Tsukishima presses his lips together, too nervous to speak his thoughts aloud. But he wears a look of determination and continues. "I felt weird. But not in a way that I disliked it. I couldn't grasp what I was feeling but I pushed it aside at that moment. But the more I'm around you, the more I can't ignore this emotion pulling at me." Tsukishima returns his gaze on you, his serious expression returns. "It irritates me when you don't ask for help." Tsukishima takes a step closer to you and you instinctively step back. "It irritates me when you don't ask for help."

He takes another step closer and you continue to take one step back.

"It irritates me when Suga is around you"

"It also irritates me how you smile at him so brightly."

The two of you continue to take a step forward and backwards. You fear that you'll eventually be stopped by one of the pillars in the pathway that leads from the school building to the gym. "But nothing irritates me more when you're hurt." Tsukishima drags out his words and takes one final step closer. You then feel the coolness of the pillar meet your back. You slowly process every statement Tsukishima's throwing at you. The blank mindset you had earlier now floods with what, how, and why. Tsukishima places one arm on the pillar, leaning his face closer to yours. The faint smell of sweat mixed with vanilla and wood intoxicates your nose. Your eyes lower to Tsukishima's lips. He parts them slowly and whispers with hesitation. 

"I like you Y/L/N Y/N." 

Tsukishima's breath tickles your face and you stare at him with disbelief. You forget how to breath as the sounds around you seem to silence. The only thing you can hear is the pounding of your heart in your eardrums. Your eyes slowly meet Tsukishima's golden-brown ones. His face slowly inches closer and you're paralyzed in your position. His breath tickling your lips. 

_I-Is he going to kiss you?!_

Scared, you force your eyes shut. You anticipate the touch of Tsukishima's lips on yours but instead your nose smells a waft of fresh linen and citrus. Slowly, you flutter your eyes open and see a hand in front of your lips. Your eyes trail up from the hand to see Suga."Sorry to cut you off Tsukishima but I need to talk to Y/L/N." Tsukishima stands upright, his brows knitting together. Suga doesn't wait for Tsukishima's retort, his fingers intertwine with your clammy ones. 

Suga breaks off into a dash and you try to keep up with his long strides. You're too afraid to look back at Tsukishima. To be honest, you are grateful that Suga pulled you away. Your emotions are too fumbled together right now. You hesitate to think about your emotions if you did kiss Tsukishima back there. 

_Would you feel love again? Or would you feel empty?_


	28. Clarity

Suga slows down in front of the school gates, still tightly holding onto your hand. With your free hand you place it over your chest, gasping for air. "S-Sorry for pulling you along." Suga pants out. You tiredly shake your head, the two of you slowly collect yourselves together. Suga lowers his eyes to your intertwine hands and apologizes to you before releasing his grip. "I want to thank you actually." You look up to Suga, a small smile on your face. "I don't know what would've happened if you didn't step in." 

Suga quietly listens to you, his shoulders tense. His eyes seem distracted when he looks at you. "Thank god." Suga whispers, innocently smiling at you. He drops his shoulders and rubs the back of his neck. "I was worried you would be upset at me." Knitting your brows together, you question Suga. "Why would I be mad at you for?" His eyes stare at everything but you. You've never seen Suga look so nervous. "I was afraid you wanted to kiss Tsukishima." Suga whispers, his voice cracking. You notice the flustered expression etched on Suga's face. "I'd feel horrible if I didn't read your expressions right. I wouldn't want to get in the way if you do have feelings for Tsukishima." Suga bites his lower lip, slowly meeting your worried gaze. 

You feel your chest warm up from Suga's kindness. A soft giggle escapes your lips which surprises him. "I thought I had too much on my mind, but I think you're the one who does." Taking a step closer to Suga, you look directly at him. "You're overthinking it." Your eyes avert to the side, staring at the sunset. "In the moment when Tsukishima confessed...my heart did waver." You pause, thinking back on the situation. "But, I don't know if it was because I shared the same feelings Tsukishima does. I'll need some time to think about his emotions and mine." 

You return your gaze to Suga. His hand gently rests on the top of your head and you stiffen. "Well, I'm here for you to talk to if you need." His words soft and you feel his fingers stroke your hair. The way the orange to pink colors of the sunset cast on Suga's face is breathtaking when you look at him. The delicate way Suga strokes your hair startles your heart. You question how Suga is this sincere and gentle with you and not to someone else. Noticing how you haven't respond to him, you slowly nod your head. Suga smiles at you, pulling his hand away when he notices someone staring at the two of you. 

"Uh-oh, looks like he found us." Suga whispers under his breath. Afraid to turn around to see the person Suga is referring to, you stay still. Tsukishima slows his steps, his chest heaving up and down. Mentally bracing yourself, you turn around to look at him. Your defenses slowly fall apart when you see Tsukishima's worried expression. The fear in his eyes are apparent. Tsukishima leans over, hands on his knees; gasping for air. 

"I'm not handing her over to you so easily Suga." Tsukishima blurts out. He recollects himself, taking long strides over to you and Suga. Confused, you take a step back and Suga carefully puts his hand on the palm of your back to support you. "Y/L/N doesn't belong to either of us Tsukishima." Suga corrects him, his voice clear. "Besides, I'm not a threat here. Y/L/N and I are just good friends." 

"That's not how I see it, Suga." Tsukishima glares at Suga. "I'm just here to clarify my emotions again so you both can hear me." 

The calm atmosphere earlier is long gone when Tsukishima stands in front of you and Suga. Your eyes stare at Tsukishima's frighten ones. The look of despair he wears to Suga must really mean he sees Suga as a threat. You remember Tsukishima mentioning how Suga irritated him. "As much as I want to ignore these annoying emotions of mine, I come to accept that I like Y/N. I can't compare to your soft hearted nature, but that doesn't mean I can't show her the same amount of love in my own way." 

You feel goosebumps run down your arms when you hear the word 'love' leave Tsukishima's lips. His tone turns more rough when he continues to speak. "I'll still be here for her after you graduate." Tsukishima glares at Suga with his last sentence. You feel Suga's hand on your back pull away. The warmth quickly leaving you. The thought of Suga graduating leaves a bittersweet taste on your tongue. Not being able to see Suga anymore after this year gives you a sharp pain in your chest. 

"I think you've made your point very clear, Tsukishima." Suga quietly says to him, Suga's eyes downcast to see your lowered head. Tsukishima stiffens when he sees your sadden face. He didn't expect his words to hurt you more than Suga. The three of you stand there in silence. 

"HURRY UP EVERYONE. FILE INTO THE BUS." Coach Ukai calls out to the others behind him. His voice breaks the tension between the three of you. "We should get on the bus." Suga suggests to the two of you. You both nod and you quickly leave the two behind. You slowly make your way to the back of the bus, leaning your back on the seat and closing your eyes. You feel your seat weigh down beside you and you flutter your eyes open. 

"Is everything okay Y/L/N?" The soft voice of Kiyoko fills your ears. You stare at her, unable to respond to her with words. With a frown, you shake your head. Kiyoko then gently rests your head on her shoulder and doesn't say another word. You slowly fall asleep resting on Kiyoko's shoulder the ride back home, not wanting to think about anything.


	29. Surprise visit

You stare at the ceiling of your bedroom in a daze. Unsure how much time has passed since you woken up in the middle of the night. From the sounds of the birds chirping and the sun rays slowly lighting up your dark room, you can only assume that morning is here. Thankfully today is a weekend and you don't have to quickly get up for school. Rolling over, you reach for your phone, the time reflecting back at you.

**7:08 AM**

A sigh escapes from you and you groggily sit up. Running your fingers through your messy bed hair. Flashbacks of yesterday fill your groggy mind. After returning from the game you walked yourself home and went straight to your bedroom. Your parents didn't push their boundaries to question you about your low mood and you thanked them for that. They know well enough that you'll tell them everything when you are ready. 

You mentally decide to not stay in the house all today. Fresh air will clear your thoughts. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Before exiting the house you grab a thin cover up and your camera. You quietly close the door behind you and lock the door. The usual spring air has now changed into a crisp summer morning air that fills your lungs. You start to walk aimlessly, taking photos here and there to distract yourself. After 15 minutes of aimlessly walking, you encounter a park. The time still too early for any one to hang around in the area. You take the opportunity to sit on a swing and look over the photos you captured. As you flick through the images you hear a pitter patter of someone jogging. Curious you look up. Of all the odds in the world, the person is Kageyama. You've forgotten how he would jog early in the mornings during the weekends. Thankfully he cuts a different route in the park, avoiding your direction. 

Your shoulders slowly relax and you decide to leave the park before Kageyama returns. The time now 8 when you get up. Not wanting to go home so early, you continue to walk the opposite direction of your house. You find yourself in a neighborhood you've only been in once or twice. A few friendly faces greet you good morning when you walk by. When you turn the corner, you notice Akiteru jogging towards you. Not wanting to meet his eyes you try to turn around but he calls out to you. "Y/N? Is that you?" Akiteru shouts out, his voice sounding closer as he closes in the distance. Releasing an exhale, you turn around and raise your hand up to greet him. "You're up early. Do you live around here?" Akiteru wipes his face with the towel that sits around his neck. You shake your head, raising up your camera. 

"The weather this morning is beautiful so I figured I would take a walk and take some pictures." You wonder if Akiteru knows about Tsukishima's confession to you yesterday. But from the way he's talking to you, he doesn't seem to know anything. Akiteru flashes you a wide smile when he see's your camera; an idea coming to his mind. "If you're not busy, my moms flower garden is in full bloom. I'm sure you'll enjoy taking pictures of our garden." The thought of seeing where Tsukishima lives makes you nervous. Akiteru doesn't wait for your answer when he places his hands on your shoulders, pushing you towards his place. 

After being pushed by Akiteru around the next corner, he welcomes you inside the house. Nervous, you stand there awkwardly by the front door. "Akiteru are you back from your morning jog?" A chipper female voice speaks from inside the house. "Yeah mom! I also ran into Tsukishima's friend, is it alright if she joins us for breakfast?" Akiteru gently yanks you inside the foyer so his mom can get a look at you. "Tsukishima's friend?" Their mom slowly turns around from the stove and lays her eyes on you. 

You awkwardly bow to her with a small smile. "Sorry if I'm intruding..." You say softly. "Oh! You're not intruding at all! I'll grab an extra plate for you. Tsukishima is in the back watering the garden. Will you get him for us?" Their mom returns her attention back to the pan on the stove, her mood much happier than earlier. "You just go out this way to the garden. I'm going to get changed." Akiteru flashes you a smile before walking down a hallway towards his bedroom. Pursing your lips together, you slide your shoes off and grab a pair of slippers. You eye the direction Akiteru pointed at, steeling your nerves. Taking a deep inhale you make your way over to the sliding doors to the garden. 

Tsukishima definitely is out there. You watch him water the flowers with a watering can, his usual blank expression. Something about seeing Tsukishima water delicate flowers didn't fit his image. You hold back your giggle, carefully sliding the doors open. Parting your lips nervously you call out to him. "T-Tsukki." Tsukishima widens his eyes briefly, his head snaps over to look at you. You didn't think Tsukishima would react so surprised and you notice the water drowning the flowers.

"Tsukki the flowers are drowning..." You point at his tipped over watering can. He lifts the watering can up and stares at you, blinking a few times as if you're not real. You look around to see if there are any outdoor shoes to wear, noticing a pair of yellow sandals you switch out of your slippers. Tsukishima still stands in his place and you walk over to him. Raising your camera, you snap a photo of Tsukishima by the flowers. The sound of the camera snap brings Tsukishima out of his daze. "How'd you get here Y/N?" Tsukishima stares at you, your attention focused on the flowers and your camera. 

"Akiteru." You answer him, squatting in front of a patch of sunflowers. Tsukishima stiffens slightly from how casually you call his brother on a first name basis. "When did you two get so close to call each other by first names..." Tsukishima mutters under his breath. You hear a slight bitterness to his tone. "It'll be weird for me to say Tsukishima and you both look at me." You lower your camera and look up at Tsukishima's grumpy face. You don't see Tsukishima express his emotions so easily on his face and you take advantage of the moment to take another photo. 

Tsukishima glares to the side, deep in his own thoughts. His golden brown eyes stare at you seriously. You stiffen from his glare, lowering your camera to anticipate his grumbling. "Call me Kei from now on. If I hear you say Tsukishima or Tsukki, I'm going to be upset." Raising an eyebrow, you look at him baffled. "Let me hear you say it." Tsukishima crosses his arms, glaring at you like a stubborn child. Unable to contain the laughter, you cover your mouth to giggle. Slowly standing back up, you stare at Tsukishima. 

"You're acting like a child, Tsukki." You turn around feeling much more at ease than earlier. Despite the serious side of Tsukishima yesterday, this new side of him is refreshing. You can only assume Tsukishima is breaking his wall slowly for you. The reason why still makes you nervous but you'll have to tell him your feelings about him soon. You'd hate to lead him on. You're stopped in your tracks when Tsukishima's large hand grabs onto your wrist. He pulls you back in front of him. 

"Kei." Tsukishima says his name firmly for you to hear. 

_Tsukishima is persistent._

"If you call me Tsukki, I'm not responsible for what happens to you Y/N." You stare at Tsukishima nervously, the warmth on your wrist reminds you that you're in Tsukishima's hold. His eyes start to intimidate you but you're not willing to back down. Several thoughts run through your mind. 

_How should you handle this situation?_

Suga is not here to rescue you like yesterday. 

"Is something the matter?" A voice calls out to you two. You turn around to see Akiteru with a confused expression. You feel Tsukishima loosen his grip on your wrist, his glare now directing over to Akiteru. "Nothings wrong." Tsukishima says sharply. 

"Well...breakfast is ready so let's head in." Akiteru averts his gaze from Tsukishima and smiles at you warmly. He turns around to head back in and Tsukishima silently pulls you along by your wrist. You mentally sigh at your current situation. The two of you enter the house and make your way over to the dining room. "You can sit beside Kei." His mom smiles at you. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name earlier." 

"Y/L/N Y/N." You answer her with a small smile. Tsukishima surprises you when he pulls the chair out for you. You mutter a thank you to him before sitting down. His mom notices the interaction and tries to hide her cheeky smirk. "I didn't know you had a beautiful friend like Y/N, Kei." His mom nonchalantly compliments you, making your cheeks heat up. Tsukishima lowers his eyes in embarrassment. "I'm surprised too. I thought Yamaguchi is the only friend he has." Akiteru chuckles, taking a bite of his mackerel. 

You lower your eyes to the plate in front of you. A traditional Japanese breakfast. The sight of the mackerel reminds you of Suga. His face briefly flashing in your mind. A pair of chopsticks pokes at your mackerel, they slowly split the fish in half and raise the piece with rice towards your lips. Your eyes look over to Tsukishima. "I can feed myself, Tsukki." You notice him knit his brows together when you said 'Tsukki'. Tsukishima forces the piece into your mouth. 

"You were thinking about him, weren't you?" Tsukishima sounds irritated and you lower your head. Akiteru and his mom both share a look of curiosity with each other. "So, when did you two become friends?" Tsukishima's mom turns the question towards you but you honestly didn't know how to answer her. You didn't know when Tsukishima saw you as a friend. You glance over to Tsukishima. You hope he'd answer for you but he averts your gaze, still sulking over earlier. 

"Um, to be honest...I'm not really sure." You awkwardly laugh. "I guess with how often I got in Tsukki's way, it was hard for him to ignore me." 

"How could I not notice an airhead like you." Tsukishima quietly says those words, looking at you from the corner of his eye. "Well that's not a nice nickname to call Y/N, Kei." His mom scolds him but you told her it's alright. 

"He's not wrong about me being an airhead. I don't take it personally when he calls me that." The morning breakfast continues on like this with small chit-chat. After you finished eating, you insisted on helping his mom to clean the dishes but she pushed you towards Tsukishima. Insisting for the two of you to spend more time together since it's a weekend. You're nervously walking behind Tsukishima down the hallway towards his bedroom. Mentally you're trying to find an excuse to leave before your nerves go haywire. You've never been to a guys home before let alone their bedroom. Things between you and Kageyama never progressed this far. 

"Um, I shouldn't overstay my welcome." You fumble your words out when Tsukishima places a hand on his doorknob. He notices your shaky voice, turning to look at you. "You're not. Don't worry about it." You're startled by how gentle Tsukishima sounds but quickly realize that your escape route is diminishing. Tsukishima opens the door to his bedroom and steps in first. You plant yourself in front of his door, nervously running your fingers through your hair. "Have you never been in a guys room before Y/N?" Tsukishima softly asks you, noticing your awkward behavior. Your ears turn red from Tsukishima's statement.

"No..." You squeak out honestly. Tsukishima widens his eyes briefly. He assumed Y/N's been in Kageyama's room at least. Tsukishima ponders on his words carefully. He extends his hand out towards your hand, carefully taking them in his hold. His actions gentle and it makes your chest tighten. An innocent look brushes across Tsukishima's face when he looks down. "There's nothing for you to worry about. I won't overstep my boundaries with you. I'll leave the door open if it makes you feel better." 

You find yourself nodding to Tsukishima's words, slowly entering his room with his hand gently leading you inside. Tsukishima releases his hold on your hand and walks over to his window, opening it to let some air in. You stand in the middle of his room, scanning the area around you. It's no surprise that his room is clean. You spot a few photo frames along the wall beside the door and walk over to take a closer look. A smile tugs on your lips when you see a photo of Tsukishima as a child. His piercing eyes and blank expression stares back at you. 

_He hasn't changed much._

The photo next to it is of him and Yamaguchi. You're surprised to see Tsukishima hang a photo up like this. Tsukishima walks over to you, "Yamaguchi insisted for us to take a photo in remembrance of our field trip to the aquarium." You smile at his words when you see the bright smile on Yamaguchi beside Tsukishima who holds onto a seahorse plush. Your eyes wander over to his desk and you notice a familiar smiley face band-aid. "You kept this from spring break?" You point at the band-aid that's in a small jar.

Tsukishima reaches over and picks the jar up. "I saved it to remind me of the day my feelings for you grew more than I realized." Tsukishima whispers into the quiet bedroom. His eyes nervously look into yours. You're unsure how to react when you look at him. You start to feel nervous again after hearing Tsukishima voice his emotions. Neither of you look away from each other. You start to hear your heartbeat in your eardrums again from how quiet the room is. Hearing someone confess their emotions to you isn't something that's part of your norm. Tsukishima is the one to look away first. He places the jar back on his desk and sits down on cushion by a wooden oval table in the corner of the room. 

"Feel free to keep looking around. There's nothing in here for me to hide from you." Tsukishima pulls out his phone to distract himself. Pursing your lips together, you debate whether or not to continue looking. You decide not to. You'd feel like you're imposing on Tsukishima's privacy if you did that. You much rather learn about him by spending time with him. Not wanting to take Tsukishima's kindness towards you for granted, you decide to do the single thing he's asked of you. Your lips tremble when you think of calling Tsukishima by his first name. Biting your lower lip and gripping onto your camera you call out to him.

"Kei." Your voice sounds much louder than it is because of how quiet the room is. 

Tsukishima looks over at you instantly, lowering his phone down on the table. His eyes seem to waver when he looks up at you from his spot. Tucking a hair behind your ear, you try to keep eye contact with Tsukishima. "Can we go out for some fresh air?" Tsukishima slowly gets up and nods his head. "Yeah, sure." He hides his blushing face from you by exiting his room quickly. You relax your stiff shoulders, exhaling under your breath. That took a lot out of you mentally. 

Tsukishima tells his mom the two of you are going out for a walk when you're exiting his bedroom. You hurry over to the foyer and change your shoes, not wanting to be left behind by Tsukishima. 


	30. Hurt Me

Tsukishima closes the door after you and walks over to your side. "Is there somewhere specific you want to go to?" Tsukishima gazes at you and your eyes wander around the neighborhood. "Where do you go for fun..." Your words trail off when you catch yourself wanting to call Tsukishima, Tsukki. Turning to look at him, you look at him directly. "Where do you go for fun Kei?" Tsukishima bites his lower lip, avoiding your eyes. His reaction only makes you feel more awkward calling him Kei.

"I just go to Tadashi's house if I'm bored. But I'd rather not have him around right now." Tsukishima readjusts his glasses on his nose. "We're not too far away from the city, let's go there." Tsukishima doesn't wait for your reply when he leads the way. You keep your distance from him, stupid thoughts running through your mind.

_This is starting to turn into a date in a way._

Your nervousness and anticipation blends together, making you unsure how to behave. You've never spent this much time alone with Tsukishima. He scared you a bit with his blank slate face and piercing eyes. His constant smart comments towards you and the way he was irritated when you were in his way. But he's soften up a bit in front of you. "I'm going to leave you behind if you don't keep up Y/N." Tsukishima purposely takes longer strides and you start to speed walk to match his pace.

"Where are we exactly going, Kei?" You're out of breath already from catching up to Tsukishima's side. Tsukishima shrugs when the two of you stop at a crosswalk. "Anywhere is fine with me. I'll let you pick." He lays his eyes on you briefly before crossing the street. You ponder in your thoughts, looking around you for ideas. You wouldn't want to drag Tsukishima somewhere he'd feel uncomfortable at. You spot a larger park compared to the one you were in this morning. This one containing a lake. "Kei, can we go there?" Your voice pulls his attention over to the park across the next street.

"Sure, if that's what you want." Tsukishima goes with the flow and the two of you cross the next street over. The sound of children screaming and giggling drowns out the busy car honks behind you. "Do you mind if I take a few pictures?" You look over to Tsukishima who stands beside you with his hands in his pockets. He doesn't say a word and you assume that was an okay. With a smile on your face you walk over a patch of flowers with a bush in the shape of a sunflower. Raising the camera to your eye, you snap a photo. You're completely distracted by taking photos to not notice Tsukishima smiling from afar. The look in his eyes full of adoration. He pulls out his phone and takes a photo of you.

You walk over to the fences where the view of the lake is breathtaking. Tsukishima quietly leans over the fence and stares ahead. The two of you watch couples pedaling in duck boats. Your heart wavers slightly at seeing how happy all the couples are. Pushing your sadness down, you look over to Tsukishima. The sun casting down on him beautifully. The wind gently ruffles his short blonde hair and you're slowly starting to see him differently.

_Tsukishima doesn't look so scary right now._

Raising your camera up, you take a photo of him. The snap sound catches his attention and he turns to look at you with knit brows. "You must really love taking pictures of me without my consent Y/N." A small smile forms on your face when you look at the image on the screen. "I couldn't help myself. You just look so peaceful and beautiful." Your words slip out of your lips before you can mentally process what you've said aloud. Hands frozen on the camera, you whip your head up to look at Tsukishima. Your cheeks a soft pink. Expecting Tsukishima to retort back you're welcomed with silence. Tsukishima stares at you in surprise before he grumbles.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that."

You watch Tsukishima grip his shirt where his heart is. Quietly, you place the camera in front of him. The screen showing the photo you just captured. Tsukishima takes the camera from you and stares at the image. "It's better than that silly one you took of me."

"The one with the camera flash?" You giggle when you think back to the image. Sadly Tsukishima made you delete it so you'll only have to laugh from the memory of the image. The camera clicks and you freeze, staring at Tsukishima who lowers the camera from his face. Tsukishima chuckles under his breath, the sound warming your chest when you see him naturally smile. "Who's laughing now?" Tsukishima smirks at you. Feeling your cheeks heat up you avert his gaze. "Jokes on you, that's my camera so I can delete the photo." You blurt out, reaching back for your camera. Tsukishima raises the camera up so it's out of your reach.

"Not if you can't reach it." Tsukishima teases. "You're such a bully Kei." Not wanting to give in, you grab onto the arm that he's raising up. Tsukishima startles from your touch for a split second. But that is enough time for you to pull his arm down. Your bodies are close when you see his hand gripping onto your camera. "I would've given you your camera back if you asked Y/N." Tsukishima whispers, his golden-brown eyes glancing at your face. Pursing your lips together, you whisper out an 'oh.' The scent of vanilla and wood from Tsukishima wafts towards you. Releasing your hold on his arm, you sheepishly ask for your camera back. Tsukishima hands you the camera back without a fight. You then take a step back to breath easier.

_His scent is intoxicating._

"Did you want to ride one of those?" Tsukishima changes the conversation, turning his attention to the duck ride in front of us. "I do but...are you fine with riding in a duck?" You poke the question towards him and you see him scrunch his face slightly. "Y-Yeah." Tsukishima mutters out, walking over to the man who's running the rental rides. You smile to yourself, thankful that Tsukishima is so willing to do things with you despite how uncool he'll appear. The older gentleman looks up from his newspaper to see you and Tsukishima.

"Take your pick." He grins at the both of you, standing up. You follow Tsukishima down the wooden pier. He points to a swan among all the other ducks. The gentleman nods and tells Tsukishima the price. You reach into your pocket to pay for your half but Tsukishima stops you. "I suggested the idea."

"But." You purse your lips together, not wanting to back down to Tsukishima. "You can repay me with your time." Tsukishima stammers his words out, a blush streaking on his face. You're at a loss for words after hearing Tsukishima say something so out of character. The two of you averting your eyes when he pays the older gentleman. "Enjoy you two! The swan is yours for 20 minutes." The gentleman walks back to his booth, leaving the two of you behind.

Tsukishima extends his hand to you and you nervously look at his outstretched hand. "I'll help you on." Tsukishima returns to his nonchalant self. But you're too flustered from his words earlier to focus on anything right now. Pulling your thoughts away, you stretch your hand to him, he gently holds your hand and pulls you into the swan ride. "Have you done this before Kei?" You ask him when you sit down, placing your feet on the pedals.

"Twice. Once with Akiteru and the other with Tadashi." A smile forms on your face when you think about Tsukishima on a duck ride with those two. "What about you?" Tsukishima asks you and the two of you start to pedal away from the dock.

"Yeah, once with Kage-" You stop yourself from finishing the sentence. Your lips trembling when you think back on the memory. You had to beg Kageyama that day to ride on one. He was too embarrassed to be caught pedaling in a duck. But despite his banter, he enjoyed himself that day. The smile he showed you left a mark in your heart. Tsukishima pinches your cheek, pulling you away from your thoughts. "It's rude to think about another guy when you're with me." Tsukishima mumbles, brows furrowed together.

"I-I'm sorry?" You lower your head, still pedaling to the same pattern as Tsukishima.

_Why are you apologizing to Tsukishima for?_

An awkward silence fills the air. Tsukishima clears his throat. "Sorry. I just said something weird." The two of you slow your pedaling and take in the sight before you. The temperature is much cooler being in the middle of the lake. "So...how did you end up coming over to my place this morning?" Tsukishima keeps his eyes ahead. You nibble your lips, unsure if you should tell him the entire start of your day leading up to seeing Akiteru.

"It's a long story." You muster to say.

"We have about 15 minutes left." Tsukishima looks at the time on his phone. His gaze turns to look at you and he patiently waits for you to speak up. You have no way to escape this conversation. Unless you wanted to take a dive into the lake. Your eyes glance over to the lake before you, the fear of the unknown scares you more. "I had a lot on my mind and couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk. I nearly bumped into Kageyama and decided to take a detour before going back. That's when Akiteru noticed me and invited me over to take pictures of your garden." Tsukishima listens to you quietly. His eyes casting down to the concealer under your eyes.

"A lot on your mind?"

You stiffen from Tsukishima's question. You were hoping he'd be fine with your answer but it seems like he wants to know more. Bracing yourself to tell him in more detail, you inhale sharply. You turn to look at Tsukishima and the way he stares at you makes you lose your composure. "I...I was thinking about your confession." Your voice trembles when you speak. "I was wondering how I should express my feelings to you." You pause to take a deeper breath, your eyes wavering when you look at Tsukishima directly in the eyes. "I- I don't want to lead you on Kei. I don't think I can return your feelings." You force those last words out, afraid to hear his response.

You anticipate for Tsukishima to retort but he sits there in silence. A fire flickers in his eyes. Tsukishima takes your hand into his large one. Startled, you glance at your joined hands. His voice rumbles from his throat. "I can't accept that as an answer Y/N." Tsukishima tugs you closer to him. You gasp from the sudden pull, Tsukishima's breath tickles your lips. Your body seems to paralyze under his gaze and your eyes dart all over his face. "I'm not giving up on you." His words sends a shiver down your spine and you feel the heat from his hand sting you. Tsukishima moves his face closer to yours. A light tap on your back will have you colliding lips with him.

"I'm going to give up on my own terms." Tsukishima's stern words rings in your ears. His eyes downcast to your parted lips. "I don't care if you lead me on Y/N...because you're my first love. First loves are always a heartache, right?" You lose your breath, your shoulders slump down.

_First loves are always a heartache...?_

"I know I have to endure pain when I admitted to these emotions. So, I'm okay if you're the one that's hurting me Y/N." Tsukishima smiles innocently at you. His voice gentle even though his words is anything but sweet. Your heart aches from Tsukishima.

_Why is he willingly letting his heart be hurt?_

You're pulled away from your thoughts when Tsukishima places his free hand on your cheek. He closes the tiny distance between the two of you with his lips. His lips carefully press against yours. Your senses are completely fried when you watch Tsukishima pull away.

"Suga can't stop me now."


	31. A familiar feeling

Your heart hammers in your chest and you feel yourself regain senses in your body. Tsukishima holds a gentle gaze towards you. Your face heats up and you turn away from his stare. Placing a finger to your lips you replay the scene over and over.

_Tsukishima kissed you._

Tsukishima leans back in his seat, scrunching his nose towards the lake. The atmosphere went from serious to what the fuck in a matter of seconds. "We should probably start heading back." Tsukishima calls out to you. You nod without looking at him. The two of you silently pedal back to the dock and you practically jump out of your seat when you see the wooden pier. You speed past the rental owner and Tsukishima chases after you. The owner chuckles at the two of you. "Ah...the youth." The older gentleman smiles reading his newspaper.

You pull your phone out to look at the time.

**4:04 PM**

"I should head back home now. Sorry for intruding your day off Kei." You stammer your words out, bowing to him slightly before turning your back to him. Tsukishima silently watches you fumble around. "I'll walk you home Y/N. Your mind seems distracted." Tsukishima walks over to you.

_Your mind is a mess because of him!_

You mentally groan. But you don't decline his offer. The walk back home is silent and anxious on your end. The only thought is of how soft Tsukishima's lips are. Despite the cocky things those lips of his say, his lips were gentle and it bothered you. You are afraid to let your guard down for someone again.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The next morning you're standing in front of the crosswalk in a daze. Thankfully nothing else happened between you and Tsukishima after he walked you home. You doubt you'll be standing on your two legs if something other than a kiss did happen. The beeping of the crosswalk light pulls you back to reality. You walk slowly in no rush to head to school. A few students rush past you, squealing over someone. That someone you can only assume is Kageyama. You stop in your tracks and look up. There Kageyama awkwardly stands with several girls offering him their milk carton. Kageyama glares at the girls but that only arouses them more. His eyes then flick over to you. You stare at each other for what seems like minutes. Not wanting to stand around any longer, you break eye contact from him, walking around the crowd of girls.

Kageyama however keeps his eyes on you. He watches you from a distance. 

When you maneuver yourself past the school gates you notice a familiar short blonde haired guy. Tsukishima stands there awkwardly, something in his hand. When he looks up to see you, his shoulders relax. Pursing your lips together, your eyes automatically stare at his lips. A blush creeping onto your face. Feeling too flustered, you lower your eyes, pretending to not see him. You start to make a dash to the lockers but Tsukishima calls out to you. "Y/N." Tsukishima walks over to you, extending his hand. Slowly, you lift your head up to look at him. Your eyes stare at the item Tsukishima holds out. 

A pen with a smiley face topper.

Raising your eyebrows, you look up at him confused. His eyes doesn't meet yours when he mumbles under his breath. "I didn't want things to be weird between us because of yesterday. I saw this at the convenience store and thought you might like it." You reach out to take the pen from him. "You're always writing during our practice so..." Tsukishima now looks at you. "I better see you use it." You don't hear any playfulness from his tone. He must be serious about you using the pen. That's a bit childish you thought. The outer corner of your lips tug into a smile and you nod your head in response.

Tsukishima turns around and leaves. Your eyes lower down to the colorful pen that is in your hand. Imagining the look on Tsukishima's face when he went up to purchase the pen makes you giggle under your breath. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"What did you do on your day off Y/L/N?" You're currently spending your lunch break with Suga as the two of you eat from the bento box he made today. Pressing your lips together you poke at the rice with your chopsticks. The thought of telling Suga about Tsukishima kissing you made you nervous. You haven't told anyone yet, not even Yachi. Suga gently pokes your forehead, your eyes fluttering to look at him. "You're very distracted today." Suga's hazel eyes stare directly into yours. His voice soft and gentle. You stiffen under his gaze. 

"S-Sorry, what were you saying Suga?" You lower your chopsticks. "Did something happen yesterday?" Suga looks at you curiously, lowering his chopsticks as well. You nibbled on your bottom lip, unsure where to even start. Suga patiently waits for you to gather your thoughts. "I spent the day with Kei yesterday by accident." Suga stares at you with surprise, straightening his posture. "Oh? Things must've progressed if you're calling each other on a first name basis now." 

You scratch the side of your cheek. "In a way." Suga notices you're still bothered by something, he carefully speaks. "Did something else happen?" 

Visions of Tsukishima kissing you flood your mind from Suga's question. You squeeze your eyes shut, shaking your head to rid yourself of the memory. The gentle touch of Suga's hand on your shoulder startles you. Suga peers at your face closely, his eyes wavering. "Did Tsukishima do something to you Y/L/N?" His tone full of worry. You freeze under his gaze and you forget how to breath with how close Suga is to you. "If he did, I'll make sure to kick his ass. Or well, give him a lecture." 

You giggle at Suga's words. You couldn't imagine him hurting anyone. Suga relaxes when he sees your smile. His hand pulls away from your shoulder and he leans back. Feeling more at ease now, you take a deep breath. "Kei kissed me." You whisper soft enough for only Suga to hear. Suga doesn't hide his shock when he gasps. "O-On the lips?" Suga points to his lips dramatically. You nod your head to his answer. He calms himself down to ask you further questions. "How did you feel?" 

You meet his question with silence. Your hand picks up your chopsticks and you take a bite of rice. "I was startled." You murmur. "I told Tsukishima I wouldn't be able to return his feelings but he tells me he's willing to be hurt by me." You knit your brows together, still feeling unsettled by the thought. "Why would he do something like that." Suga who has been silent, forms a small smile. "Because we're stubborn when we're in love." You look up at Suga, his eyes distant as he remembers the senior he had a one sided love for. 

"Despite how hurt he'll be in the process, there's that slight chance that you'll develop feelings." Suga turns to look at you. "That's why Tsukishima is willing to be emotionally hurt." You process Suga's words carefully. But you're still taken aback from Tsukishima's determination. "I...I wish he wouldn't be so vulnerable." The words escape your lips and you feel a sadness wash over you. 

"And why is that Y/L/N?" Suga tilts his head, looking at your melancholy expression. "Is it maybe because you have feelings for someone else?" You feel a pang in your chest when you listen to Suga. Your eyes nervously look up to meet his hazel ones. Suga looks at you with a relaxed expression, a warm smile on his face. The gentle summer breeze flutters yours and Suga's hair. The way Suga stares at you makes your insides feel fuzzy from butterflies. 

"N-No." You weakly say those words. You say no despite your heart racing when you're under Suga's gaze. You push these feelings aside as confusion in the moment. Too afraid to question why you're feeling like this all of a sudden. Suga chuckles from your weak response. "You hesitated Y/L/N." 

"I did not." You quickly retort. 

"Oh? Maybe I need to get my ears checked then." Suga playfully jokes with you, picking up his chopsticks to take a bite of his sweet potato. You don't answer him. Instead you stare at the bento box in front of you. Your heart rapidly beats in your chest. A feeling you thought you wouldn't experience months from now.


	32. You're not the only one

After eating lunch with Suga, you return back to your classroom a little earlier before lunch break is over. Resting your head on the cool desk, you close your eyes. Your mind wanders to the emotion you felt earlier. The way your heart raced when you looked at Suga. His gentle smile flashes in your mind. You're then pulled out of your thoughts when you hear commotion in the hallway.

"I think she's going to tell him!" A few classmates of yours run over to the window. You raise your head up, curiosity getting the better of you. From your seat you can see the entire scene unravel in front of you. "Kageyama. Will you please listen to me?" An unfamiliar student calls out to Kageyama. You've never seen her before and from the way she holds herself she seems to be an upperclassman. Kageyama doesn't turn to look at her. His eyes are ahead of him. Despite not looking at the upperclassman, he still stopped to listen to her.

"What is it?" Kageyama's tone flat. The upperclassman pays no mind to his cold attitude. She walks over to him, standing directly in front of him with a confident smile. "You like volleyball, right?" Kageyama scoffs under his breath. "I wouldn't be on the team if I didn't."

"Well, I like volleyball too. I'm actually on the female volleyball team." She flashes Kageyama a sly smile. "Where are you going with this? I'd like to go back to my class before lunch break is over." Kageyama starts to get impatient with the girls roundabout conversation. She sighs under her breath, taking a step closer to Kageyama. Her hand reaches towards Kageyama's hair, her tongue seductively licking her lips.

Something lights up within your core when you watch the two from your seat. Your chest tightens and an unexplainable emotion eats at you. Your body moves on its own when you push yourself out of the classroom door. You then push your way through the crowd, irritation flickering in your eyes. "I like you Kageyama. I think I'm a better fit for the role of your girlfriend, won't you agree?" The girl twirls her finger around Kageyama's hair. You knit your brows together, irritated by how full of herself she is. "I know how busy volleyball gets so I'll be more understanding about the lack of time we'll have together." Her words stab your heart and you feel your anger shift. How can she loosely say those words without knowing how difficult it was for you during your relationship with Kageyama. You were patient for the longest during your entire relationship. But eventually you lost patience when you felt neglected.

"I'll be supportive of your hobbies and I won't cling onto you like Y/L/N." She giggles under her breath, pulling her finger away from his hair. She then leans over to Kageyama's ear, "I also have more experience if you know what I mean."

Your eyes waver, hands balled into a fist. You've had enough of this upperclassman and her low throws at you. Without thinking twice, you walk over to the two, anger fueling you. You know you'll regret this later but you want to knock this girls confidence down a few pegs. You force yourself between the two, pushing the upperclassman away from Kageyama. Everything from now on becomes a blur when you slap the upperclassman. Tears welling up in your eyes. "Kageyama won't date someone as horrible as you." The sharp tone in your voice pierces the atmosphere. The upperclassman glares at you in anger, her hand meets your face and you're a second too late to move out of the way. Your cheek heats up from her slap and you're sure it left a mark. The slap stings but you hold your ground. "You shouldn't speak so loosely." The words slip from your lips through clench teeth. Your eyes glare at her despite the tears streaming down your face.

Just then you hear the voices of several teachers. They shout among the crowd to return to their classrooms.

"You little bitch." The upperclassman raises her hand up again to slap you but she's stopped by an extended hand. "Don't embarrass yourself further." The nonchalant voice belongs to Tsukishima. He throws her hand back, taking hold of your hand and pulling you away. Kageyama knits his brows together, grabbing onto your wrist. Tsukishima glares at him, "Let Y/N go. This is your fault so take responsibility by telling the teachers what just happened." You feel Kageyama loosen his grip on your wrist, his hand falls back to his side and you're dragged away by Tsukishima. You willingly follow Tsukishima, your eyes downcast.

Tsukishima stops in front of the courtyard. Anger written all over his face. "Why'd you go and do something like that Y/N? You should ignore Kageyama and his personal business." You can hear the frustration in Tsukishima's voice. But you mentally answer that you followed your emotions and not your mind. "You shouldn't meddle in conversations that you're not apart of." You keep your head low while you listen to Tsukishima rant. Everything he is saying is correct. You let your emotions get the better of you and acted irrationally. You knew all this but still did it anyway. Because whether you liked it or not, Kageyama will always be someone special to you.

Tears litter the concrete in front of your shoes and you quietly sniffled. Tsukishima stops when he hears you quietly cry. He walks over to you, gently lifting your head up to see your redden face. Tears easily slipping down your cheeks. Tsukishima bites his lower lip, sighing quietly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said all that."

"Y/L/N!" A familiar warm voice shouts for you and you feel Tsukishima's hand stiffen on your chin. Tsukishima stares in disbelief when Suga runs towards the two of you, dropping his hand to his side. Suga places his hands on your shoulders, turning you towards him. "Hey." Suga's soft voice cuts through your whimpering. He kneels down to look up at you, his eyes moving to the red mark on your cheek. Carefully he grazes his thumb on your cheek. "This must hurt." Tsukishima snaps out of his silence. "What are you doing here Suga."

"The same reason you're here, Tsukishima." Suga turns his gaze over to Tsukishima, looking up. "You're not the only one that cares about Y/L/N."


	33. Their POV's

**Moments prior to the event.**

"I can't believe you kissed Y/L/N. No wonder you were avoiding my texts yesterday." Yamaguchi pouts to himself, walking beside Tsukishima. The two are making their way back to the first year wing building after spending some time in the courtyard for lunch. Tsukishima frowns when he see's a huge crowd in the way, his eyes glaring at the back of their heads. "Why is everyone crowding the entrance for." Yamaguchi stands on his tiptoes, trying to see what everyone is looking at. A loud slap echoes throughout the hallway. Tsukishima raises an eyebrow. 

"A fight?" Tsukishima murmurs to Yamaguchi. A voice loudly shouts, "Kageyama won't date someone as horrible as you." 

"Wait. Doesn't that sound like Y/L/N?" Yamaguchi nervously says to Tsukishima. Worry clouds over Tsukishima's face when he hears another slap and Y/L/N speaks up again. Tsukishima pushes the students aside when he notices the teachers running up from behind him. "Tsukki!" Yamaguchi shouts after Tsukishima but Tsukishima is out of his reach within the sea of students. Frustration boils within Tsukishima when he thinks of Y/L/N being hurt. 

_Why is he always a step behind to help her?_

Tsukishima makes his way to the front of crowd and sees Kageyama paralyzed by the events happening in front of him. "Fucking useless." Tsukishima growls under his breath when he sees Kageyama stand there. The upperclassman raises her hand up and Tsukishima lunges forward. His hand tightly grips onto the girls hand to stop her. "Don't embarrass yourself further." Tsukishima glares at her as he speaks. His heart races from the adrenaline. His only thought is to get Y/L/N away from here. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Did you hear? The captain of the female volleyball team went to the first year wing to confess her feelings to Kageyama." A few girls walk past Suga, giggling to each other. "Really?! We should go take a peak." 

"No way! We'll be late for class if we did." 

Suga quietly listens to them, a frown etches on his face. His mind thinks of Y/L/N. "Hopefully she won't witness it." Suga whispers to himself. He could only imagine how heartbroken Y/L/N will be. Even though the two have been broken up for a few months now, doesn't mean that her feelings for him completely stopped. Suga understood that feeling very well. Lost in his thoughts, he slowly heads over to the third year wing. 

"Hitari just texted me, looks like there's a fight in the first year wing!" 

"Really?! Let's go see!" Two students brush past Suga and he happens to overhear their conversation. He freezes for a moment to process what he's just heard.

_A fight in the first year wing._

There's no coincidence two separate situations are happening in the same location. Suga widens his eyes when he thinks about Y/L/N. He turns around and runs back out of the third year wing. His mind frantic when he thinks of the worse. "Y/L/N, please don't be hurt." Suga whispers to himself as he runs as fast as he physically can. When he arrives to the first year wing, his eyes dart everywhere nervously. Breathing heavily his chest heaves in and out. He doesn't see any sign of Y/L/N around. Panicking, Suga runs his fingers through his hair. He tries to think of every possible location that Y/L/N can be at. The answer makes him slowly feel defeated because of the many possibilities. 

"Suga?" Yamaguchi walks over to Suga, looking at him with worry. "What are you doing here?" 

"Yamaguchi! W-Where's Y/L/N?" Yamaguchi steps back startled from Suga's loud voice. "Tsukki dragged her somewhere. Most likely the courtyard since we just got back from there." Suga doesn't waste any time when he hears Yamaguchi say the courtyard. He hears Yamaguchi shout for him but he's in a hurry. Suga mentally apologizes to Yamaguchi when he turns the corner, the courtyard just a few more steps forward. There he see's Tsukishima with Y/L/N. Seeing the two there gave him a mixed feeling but he pushes it aside. Y/L/N is priority right now. 

"Y/L/N!" 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

**Present time**

Suga pulls his attention away from Tsukishima and returns them to you. "What happened?" Suga asks Tsukishima indirectly, his eyes focused on you. Your tears slowly stop when you feel the warmth of Suga's fingers wiping away your tears. Your vision no longer blurry from your tears. Nervously, you look at Suga who's kneeling in front of you. An expression of complete worry and sadness paints on Suga's face and you feel guilty that you're the reason why he's making that face. "That upperclassman bitch." Tsukishima angrily says under his breath. "I wasn't there for the whole thing but I can only assume she stepped out of line." 

Suga forms a small smile when he sees you no longer crying. "I'm sorry, Suga." You whisper to him. "For what?" Suga whispers back to you. "For making you worried. I feel guilty having you look at me with that expression." Suga dryly chuckles, he tucks a few stray hairs behind your ear. "I'm just glad to see you're okay. But, you should apologize to Tsukishima too. He looks just as worried." Suga slowly gets up and pulls his hands away from you. He gently nudges you over to Tsukishima who's been silently observing you two. He doesn't hide the jealousy on his face when you look up to him. 

Your eyes waver when you look at Tsukishima. If Tsukishima wasn't there, you would've gotten slapped again. He threw himself into the argument without thinking twice and pulled you out of the situation you willingly stepped in. He may have lectured you earlier, but you know it's because he was worried. Tsukishima could've just watched from afar and minded his own business but he made it his business. He did more than Kageyama did for you during the argument. Feeling overwhelmed by these thoughts, you wrap your arms around Tsukishima. "I'm sorry for making you angry...and thank you for worrying about me Kei." 

Tsukishima stiffens from your hold, he widens his eyes when he sees the top of your head against his chest. You release your hold on him, taking a step back to bow to him slightly. "I'm sure the principal will be looking for me so I shouldn't linger around here." You look at the two, excusing yourself. Turning your back to the two, you hurry along to the office. Anxiety fills your body when you downcast your eyes. 

It seems like it's one event after another.


	34. Three against one

Suga and Tsukishima both watch you walk away, their emotions slowly easing. "Well, we should head to class. I'm sure our teachers are wondering where we both disappeared to." Suga looks over at Tsukishima, waving a goodbye before leaving first. "Suga." Tsukishima calls out to him with a stern voice. Suga raises an eyebrow, turning his body slightly. "Yeah?" 

"You never answered my question that night." Tsukishima takes one step closer to Suga. "What are your feelings towards Y/L/N." Suga sighs under his breath, turning to face Tsukishima to give him his undivided attention. "We're friends." Tsukishima scoffs under his breath, his eyes now glaring at Suga. "Your words don't match up with your actions." Tsukishima stands next to Suga, hands in his pockets. "I saw the way you looked at Y/N earlier. You can't lie to me Suga." Tsukishima drops the conversation there when he walks away from Suga. 

Suga stares at the concrete in a daze. Tsukishima's low voice still loudly rings in his ear. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You nervously raise your hand to the principals door, gently knocking. You hear a booming voice answer you. "Come in." Chills run down your spine when you place your hand on the handle, pulling down to open the door. You're greeted with a stern looking older man and two backs faced towards you. "Nice of you to join us Ms. Y/L/N." The principal lowers his gaze from you and looks at the two sitting in front of him. "You two are dismissed. I'll be talking to Y/L/N now." You step to the side when Kageyama and the upperclassman stands up from their seats. The upperclassman glares daggers at you before exiting first. Kageyama hesitates to meet your eyes when he leaves.

The principal motions for you to sit down and you quickly do so. "Care to tell me your side of the situation?" The low voice of the principal makes you nervous. "We've already called your parents to inform them about the incident." Your mood drops when you hear that. You've never acted up in school and now that you had this one slip up...you can't imagine how'd your parents reacted. "We didn't tell them in detail what happened other than the fact that their daughter had an argument with another student." You relax a bit after hearing that, you straighten yourself up in the chair.

"I have no excuse for my behavior, sir." You answer honestly. Slowly, you look up at the principal. Your hand grips onto the arm of the chair you're sitting in. "I let my emotions get the better of me and acted out of line." You lower your head to apologize. The principal silently listens to you, nodding his head satisfied with your response. 

"I thank you for your honesty Y/L/N. Just don't let another incident like this happen again. You're free to leave." The principal ends the conversation and returns his gaze back to the stack of papers on his desk. You bow to him and excuse yourself, quickly leaving the office. Closing the door behind you, you sigh under your breath. "Time to go to class." You murmur to yourself. You'd much rather go home now. The thought of everyone looking at you when you enter the classroom makes you groan. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You mentally sigh when you hear the sound of the school bell ring. The day is finally over and you want nothing more than to go home. You sent a text to Kiyoko prior to tell her that you'll be missing the afternoon practice and she didn't press you further for a reason. You say your goodbyes to Yachi quickly before she insists on walking home with you. Your main goal is to exit the school without having too much attention brought to yourself. By now the news of you slapping and being slapped by an upperclassman has made it's rounds. Walking over to your locker, you swap your shoes out. 

"Y/N." A low voice calls out to you. Your breath hitches when you see Kageyama stand there, his eyes downcast. Slamming your locker closed, you take a step back from him. "If you're here to apologize, you don't have to. We shouldn't be seen like this...especially because of earlier." You fumble your words out, looking everywhere but at Kageyama. "Good luck with practice." You curtly say before running away from him, not turning back to see what expression he's making. 

Releasing a sigh under your breath, you slow your pace. Curiosity itches at you as you wonder why Kageyama came over to talk to you. But that doesn't matter right now. You have to brace yourself for the many questions your parents will throw at you. You don't make it past the school entrance when you see three girls block your way. 

_Are they friends of the upperclassman?_

"You're pretty cocky for a first year." A girl with short hair scoffs when she looks you up and down. The three take a step closer to you while you take one step back. A few students walk past you, staring at the scene from a distance. "Do you think we'd let you slide by embarrassing our volleyball captain like that?" A tall blonde haired ponytail girl glares at you. You can sense these girls only have one purpose. 

**To hurt you.**

Fear clouds the back of your mind but you're not willing to let them see it. You anticipate for the third girl to speak up but she only stares at you maliciously. "Grab her Kimi." The blonde haired girl looks at the third girl. You carefully watch the third girls actions, trying to spot how and where she'd grab you so you can gracefully dodge it. Your eyes notice the slight muscle movement in the girls right hand, her eyes staring at your wrist. Your observation skills are improving from the many times you've observed the members of the volleyball team. The downside is that if you're emotional unstable like earlier today, you wouldn't be able to predict the persons next step. 

Avoiding the girls attempt only angers the three girls more. "Sneaky bitch, aren't you?" The short haired girl raises her voice, throwing her hands forward to grab your backpack straps. 

_Where is a teacher when you need them?_

You duck down to avoid her but the other girls take advantage of the moment. The blonde tackles you to the ground and you wince from feeling your back slam to the ground. "Stop fooling around first year!" The blonde shouts directly in your face and you close your eyes. Anger bubbles up in your chest when other students continue to crowd around you three. 

_Is no one a decent human being around here?_

You're not the strongest girl and the only thing you're probably decent at is your reaction time. The blonde tries to throw a punch but you stop her with your palm. Your arm shaking tremendously when you push her fist back. But you're still at a disadvantage when the other two grab hold of your feet and arms. "You really have no human decency. Beating me up in the middle of public." You stare at the blonde who's pinning you down. 

"You shouldn't open your mouth when you're clearly at a disadvantage right now." The blonde forms the most darkest expression you've ever seen and you shut your eyes closed. The harsh impact of her fist hits you in the face. Fear now completely takes over you and you know the tears will fall at any moment. But because you're stubborn, you wouldn't allow yourself to show such weakness to these rotten girls. The blonde continues to punch you for what feels like hours as you clench your teeth. You hear her laugh loudly when she sees you give up. Your face completely bruised, scratched, and bloody. The pain hurts so much that it feels numb. 

This time Tsukishima isn't here to save you. No one watching is bold enough to stop these girls.

**_This sucks._ **

You feel the girls loosen their grip on you and the weight of the blonde no longer on your body. Slowly you open your eyes to see the three girls turn their backs on you, laughing among each other. Several eyes stare at you in horror. They're too afraid to do anything but watch. Aching, you slowly get up. The sound of you standing up catches the attention of the three girls. 

"Oh? Did I not hit you enough to knock you out?" The blonde frowns sarcastically. She throws a fist towards your face again but you managed to move aside. The heat on your face stings but it doesn't hurt as much as your heart does right now. You feel incredibly alone as you stare at these girls in front of you. You try to channel your sadness into anger when you scream. Mentally you apologize to the principal when you swing your backpack at the short haired girl. The backpack hits her directly in the face and she's taken aback. 

"Is this bitch insane?!" The third girl stammers out, running towards you. You run through several options in your mind when you watch her come at you. You decide to charge right after her, avoiding her grabby hands barely. Unlike you, she is not as lucky when you grab her by the hair. She shrieks in pain when you tug at her hair. If they wanted to play dirty, you had every right to protect yourself however you can. You'll accept the consequences later. 

Her hand grips onto your wrist tightly, her finger nails digging into your arm. Wincing from the pain, you let go of her hair, kicking her as hard as you can at her back to make her falter forward. The blonde lunges forward when your back is to her. Feeling a shiver down your spine, you turn around quick enough to move your arms up to cover your face. Your eyes stare at the concrete under you. Lowering your body, you slide kick the blonde over. Your body starts to feel incredibly heavy and your stamina is slowing down. Your energy is weak from the earlier beat down. Mentally you cry out for help as you fear that you'll black out soon. 

"You're not getting away with this!" The short haired girl from earlier swings at your sides and you're a second too late to avoid the hit. You shut your eyes in pain, weakly you mutter. "Neither are you." Your vision starts to blur as the adrenaline from earlier fades. Your legs give out from underneath you and you hit the ground on your side. A very loud pang rings in your ear and your head throbs horribly. 

"What's going on here?!" You hear a faint voice of a man pierce through the crowd. They're struck with surprise when they see you on the ground beaten up horribly. The person runs over to your side, shouting for the onlookers to go home. "Takeda! Kiyoko! Round those girls up and send them to the principal!" The loud booming voice belongs to Coach Ukai. You try to keep your eyes open to look at him but your eyelids slowly close and the last thing you see is darkness. Coach Ukai calls your name out multiple times but you can't answer him. "Damn it." Coach Ukai clicks his tongue, his brows knit together in aggravation. "Hang in there Y/N." He lifts you up and hurries you off to the school infirmary. 


	35. Hospital visit

"Will those girls be expelled?" Y/N's father quietly speaks to Coach Ukai. Y/N's mom sits in a chair beside Y/N at the hospital. The school nurse couldn't stay overnight with her so Coach Ukai drove Y/N to the nearest hospital while Takeda called her parents. Kiyoko and Takeda stayed behind to watch after the volleyball practice for Coach Ukai. With crossed arms, Coach Ukai lowers his head. "That would be the ideal option but I can't give you an answer. The principal will have an answer by tomorrow." Anger flickers in Y/N's dads eyes but he doesn't point them at Coach Ukai. His anger drives from the fact that his daughter was not protected on school campus.

Coach Ukai places a hand on Y/N's dads shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to your daughter quicker." Y/N's dad looks up to Coach Ukai, his eyes widen when Coach Ukai bows deeply to him. "It pains me to know one of my students were caught in an incident where no one came to protect her when she needed it the most." Coach Ukai's voice cracks and his body trembles slightly. Dad walks over to Coach Ukai and gently straightens him up. "You did everything you possibly can Ukai. Thank you for bringing Y/N here for us."

Coach Ukai nods at Y/N's dad, still feeling upset at himself for not doing more. A knock pulls the two away from their conversation. "Excuse me, there's three students here that are insisting to see the patient but they're not labeled under her immediate family." The nurses frustration is apparent despite her smile. Dad and Ukai share a look with each other. "Oh? Sorry for inconveniencing you. I'll go speak to them." Coach Ukai apologizes to the nurse and follows after her. The two walk down a quiet hallway towards the receptionist desk. The only sound of Ukai's shoes echo in the hallway.

"They're right here." The nurse points over to the waiting room. Ukai pokes his head out and sees three of his students sitting there with anxious expressions.

**Suga, Tsukishima, and Kageyama.**

A small smile forms on Ukai's face and he sighs under his breath. He walks over to the three with his hands on his sides. "What are you three doing here? You should be home by now." Ukai lifts his arm up to look at his watch. The time reading 7:08 PM. Suga is the first one to stand up, his eyes wide. "How is Y/L/N? Is she okay?" Suga slurs his words, his voice full of panic and worry. Tsukishima sits there with his eyes lowered, hands clasping together and he taps his leg on the marble flooring. Kageyama silently looks at Ukai with the same worried wide eyes.

"She got beat up pretty bad..." Ukai whispers, his hand scratching the back of his head. "She hasn't woken up from blacking out earlier so she'll most likely rest up at home when she gets up. Her parents probably won't let her come back to school until her bruising fades." Tsukishima grumbles under his breath, hitting his fist onto his thigh. Kageyama startles beside him and Suga slumps back in the seat. "I know you all want to see her but only her immediate family are allowed to visit. So why don't you three go back home. I'll update you guys if her parents tell me anything." Kageyama lowers his head. "It's my fault." He murmurs under his breath.

"Good of you to notice." Tsukishima claps back sarcastically.

"Don't start you two." Ukai pats the two on their shoulders. "I'll drive you all home. Go wait by my car. I'll be right there after saying my farewells to Y/N's parents." The three silently nod their heads, each of them getting up from their seats. Dad hurries out to the waiting room, calling out to Ukai. Dad slows down when he notices three faintly familiar faces. "Is something wrong sir?" Ukai turns to face Y/N's dad with raised eyebrows.

"I'm glad you didn't leave yet. I was curious to see who the three students were." Dad stands next to Ukai and gazes at the three students before him. Dad lays his eyes on Kageyama first. "It's been awhile Kageyama." Dad forms a small smile towards him. Kageyama bows when Y/N's dad speaks to him. "Nice to see you again sir." Kageyama speaks softly. Dad then turns his attention to Tsukishima and Suga. He raises a finger and points at Tsukishima. "And you must be Tsukishima. The one that walked Y/N home last weekend." Tsukishima stiffens when Y/N's dad points at him. He slowly nods his head.

"Then you must be Suga, correct? The one who enjoyed my tonkatsu." Suga grows flustered from the way Y/N's dad acknowledges him. He nods and bows to him slightly. "Y-Yes, that would be me." Suga chuckles awkwardly, cheeks turning pink. Dad chuckles under his breath when he looks at them as a whole. "Looks like my daughter is quite a charmer to have three guys worry after her." Suga, Tsukishima, and Kageyama both stiffen when they hear Y/N's dads playfully joke. "Y/N isn't awake yet, but I'll ask the nurse to let you see her for a few minutes." Dad turns his back to the three and heads over to the receptionist.

Suga breaths a sigh of relief, a small smile on his face. "Now listen you three, don't stay in there for more than five minutes each. We don't want to inconvenience Y/N's family." Ukai speaks quietly to the three, his words brief. "So, who wants to visit Y/N first?"

"I would." Kageyama steps forward. Dad nods his head and takes Kageyama to the back. Tsukishima knits his brows together and glares at Kageyama's back. "Why does he get to go first."

"You can go next Tsukishima." Suga speaks up to get Tsukishima's attention. "I was planning to anyway." Tsukishima grumbles, sitting back down. "I'm going to step out to take a smoke break. Come out when the three of you are done." Ukai walks towards the entrance, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

With each step towards Y/L/N's room, Kageyama feels a sharp pain in his chest. His head is full of guilt and he's afraid to see the shape she's in. Y/N's dad opens the door and steps aside for Kageyama to enter first. "Thank you." Kageyama whispers towards Y/N's dad. Kageyama's legs feel like cement the moment he steps inside the room. He takes in a deep breath, forcing himself to move forward. When he walks past the curtain divider, his breath catches in his throat. Y/N's mom notices Kageyama and stands up from her seat.

She ushers Kageyama to take a seat. "We'll step out so you can have some time with her." The two parents close the door behind them. Kageyama's eyes waver when he looks at Y/L/N from the end of the hospital bed. Y/L/N's face is completely bruised and swollen. Those upperclassman's did not leave a single part of her face unmarked. Kageyama doesn't have the strength to sit next to her. His body trembles with anger and guilt. "Why? Why did you put yourself in this situation Y/L/N?" Kageyama quietly cries out. "You should've ignored her confession to me." Kageyama tightens his fists, lowering his eyes to the floor as his tears fall. Unable to bear being in the room, Kageyama forces himself out.

"Kageyama?" Y/N's dad calls out to him but Kageyama apologizes through clench teeth. His tears litter his face and he doesn't want to be seen like this. Kageyama runs through the hallway and past the waiting room. Suga looks up to see Kageyama run out of the door. "Kageyama?" Suga says his name under his breath. Tsukishima looks just as confused but worry floods his thoughts now.

_What did Kageyama see for him to act like that?_

Tsukishima stands up and walks over to the hallway, his eyes spotting Y/N's parents. He jogs over to the two and asks for permission before entering the room. Opening the door, Tsukishima feels his heart rapidly beat. His breathing sounds loud in his ear with each step he takes. When he walks past the curtains, he freezes. Tsukishima forgets to breath when he notices the purple and blues on Y/N's face. He notices several bandages around her arms. Slowly Tsukishima walks over to Y/N. He nervously stretches his hand out towards Y/N but he stops short. He balls his hand into a fist. Tsukishima fights within himself.

_Why is he always one step behind when Y/N needs help._

_She always seemed to find a way to be in front of him when he least expected it._

Closing his eyes, he turns his back to Y/N. "You better be awake the next time I see you, Y/N." Tsukishima whispers into the silent room. He bites his lower lip, not wanting to tear up like Kageyama. Tsukishima makes his way back out of the room and thanks both of Y/N's parents for letting him in. He shoves his fists into his pocket and walks over to the waiting room. "Come out when you're done." Tsukishima looks at Suga briefly before walking out of the hospital. Suga notices the soft tone Tsukishima speaks to him in.

Anxiety litters his body and he clenches his hands open and closed. Suga releases a sigh and braces himself when he walks down the hallway. "And here's the last visitor of the night." Y/N's dad smiles at Suga. "I'm sorry that she's not awake to know that you came by." Y/N's mom gives Suga a warm smile.

"It's not your fault." Suga whispers to her before opening the door. The door clicks closed and Suga idles at the front door. He reflects back on Kageyama's and Tsukishima's expression. The feeling of fear to see Y/L/N clouds his mind. Pursing his lips, Suga takes a step forward. Each step feels like an eternity and Suga's tighten chest only makes him more anxious. His fear and anxiety then washes away when he sees Y/L/N's fragile state. Worry claims his body and he hurries over to Y/L/N's side. Suga's eyes waver and his vision slowly starts to blur from the tears that well up in his eyes. He scans Y/L/N's face and arms. She was bruised all over.

Lowering himself in the chair beside the bed, his tears rolls down his cheeks. Suga cannot wrap his mind around the thought of Y/L/N being hurt. "You must've been scared." Suga whimpers out. Carefully, Suga takes hold of her hand with his trembling one. He pulls Y/L/N's hand towards his wet cheeks. Nestling his cheek onto Y/L/N's cold hand, he continues to cry in the empty room. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you Y/L/N." Suga cries out. His shoulders shake with every sob he releases. Suga sits like this for a few minutes. Consumed with clouded thoughts.


	36. You're awake

The faint sound of someone crying rustles you awake. Pain envelopes your entire body but nothing hurts more than what you're feeling in your face. Your mind is fuzzy when you slowly open your eyes. You cringe from the bright lights glowing in front of you. You turn your head to the sound of the crying. "S-Suga?" Your voice is barely audible and dry. A familiar pair of hazel eyes shoots up to look at you. Your chest tightens when you see his red cheeks and teary eyes. Slowly, you look around you. 

"Y-Y/L/N. You're awake." Suga tries to contain his loud voice, his hand flies over to your face. His fingers gently moving your bangs away from your eyes. "I'm so glad." He exhales a sigh of relief, sniffling. Your eyes travel back to Suga and you knit your brows together. "Am I at the hospital?" You whisper to him. Suga nods his head, stroking your hair gently. 

"Coach Ukai brought you here. Your parents are outside the room. They were letting us visit you." You raise an eyebrow. "Us?" You whisper out. "Kageyama and Tsukishima came in to see you while you were asleep." 

_Kageyama and Tsukishima were here too?_

You purse your lips together but wince quickly from the pain. "You probably need to take some medicine to numb the pain." Suga notices your scrunched face. "I should tell your parents you're awake." Suga slowly gets up and you reach out for his wrist. He stiffens from your hold and turns to look at you. You stare at Suga silently, burning his facial expression into your memory. "Sorry for making you sad Suga." You whisper. You weakly lower your hand back onto the bed, averting your eyes from him. 

_You've probably worried him and the others to death. Who knows how long they waited for you to wake up._

Suga forms a small smile on his face, he leans over you. The feeling of his palm gingerly touches your face, careful to not hurt you. You look up to him, your chest tightening. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you Y/L/N." You notice Suga's glossed over eyes, his lips trembling when he says those words. He quickly leaves right after to get your parents. Lowering your eyes, you notice the bandages around your arms. You can't imagine how ugly you probably look in the face. 

The sound of the door opening catches your attention and you hear quick footsteps from your parents. Worry graces their face but they show you a smile when they see you look up. You form a small smile to ease their worry and you see your mom throws herself onto you, gently. "Y/N, you've had a long day didn't you? Don't worry. Mom and dad are here now." She whispers through tears in your ears. You stay still as your mom envelopes you in her warmth.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Suga idles by the door a few seconds more before making his way towards the exit of the hospital. He stares at his hand that was just grazing against Y/L/N's cheeks moments ago. An aching pain travels within his chest and he shuts his eyes closed briefly. The sound of summer cicada's loudly rings in Suga's ears when the sliding automatic doors behind him closes. "Suga!" The voice of Coach Ukai pulls Suga back to reality. Suga hurries over to Coach Ukai's car. Kageyama and Tsukishima are both sitting in the back with forlorn expressions. "Come on in, I'll take you all home." Coach Ukai tilts his head to the passenger seat. Suga nods his head and hurries into the car, closing the passenger door behind him. The ride is silent of conversation. The only sound of the radio filling the car. 

Coach Ukai looks at the other two from the rear view mirror, his eyes then focus on the road ahead. "Y/L/N woke up when I went to visit her." Suga speaks up. The three in the car perk up. "How is she?" Kageyama nearly shouts from his seat, clearing his throat from his loudness. Suga lowers his eyes, a frown grazes on his face. "She was in pain. But that's obvious from how brutally beat up she is." Tsukishima angrily sulks in his seat, arms crossed. 

"I didn't get to talk to her long after since I figured telling her parents she is awake is more important." Suga looks out of the window, the streets a blur. Coach Ukai clears his throat to get everyone's attention. "I know you all are worried about Y/L/N but I hate to say it, you guys won't be able to help her heal her wounds. We just have to help her with what we can do. You're free to bring her schoolwork to her after school until she's healed up. I'll give her parents a heads up. Just don't overstay your welcome, you hear me?" Coach Ukai flashes a smile towards the rear view mirror and Suga. 

The three silently nod. Each one wearing a different expression as they're all deep in thought.


	37. House visit

The following day you're laying in bed, scrolling through your phone after taking multiple naps. Several students have spread obnoxious rumors about yesterday's quarrel. Closing your eyes, you lower the phone onto your bed. Your parents checked up on you before they left for work earlier in the morning and you've been alone since then. The night you came home from the hospital was a nightmare. You walked past a mirror in the hallway and had a good look at yourself. You could barely recognize yourself from how swollen your face was. The colors of purple and blue in your face did not make it any easier for you to intake. 

Your face heats up with embarrassment when you think about the three visitors you had last night. Lifting the blanket over your face you groan loudly. Your parents haven't heard anything from the principal about the girls punishments and you have a feeling nothing will happen if those girls had parents that paid their way out of this situation. Sitting up you look over at your night stand. Two different bottles of pills lay there and a note from your mom reminding you to eat lunch and that she'll be home later that afternoon. 

You glance over at the clock in your room. 

_When did it get so late already?_

The time is now two in the afternoon. School is done now. A sigh escapes your lips and you grab the pills off the night stand. Sliding on your slippers, you grab your phone off the bed and make your way downstairs. Your phone chimes in your hand and you see a text from Yachi.

Your brows furrow together when you read Yachi's text. 

_Two? So you'll be seeing two people?_

Your fingers hover over the keyboard and you're ready to reply when a call flashes on the screen. 

**Tsukishima Kei 🤓**

With wide eyes you stare at the screen in complete silence. 

_Is Tsukki the one coming over?!_

You hurry to answer the call, not wanting him to feel ignored. "H-Hello?" Your reply comes out shaky and you mentally cringe. "Hey, I'm coming over with your school work." Tsukki sounds more gentle than you expected. "Is that alright?" You're surprised to hear him ask permission. You imagined Tsukki would just shove his way into your home. "Y-Yeah. Excuse my appearance when you get here." You sheepishly reply to him over the phone. You don't hear a reply on his end, the only sound of chattering students reply to you. 

"Idiot. You shouldn't be stressing over that." Tsukishima dryly chuckles and your chest tightens by Tsukki's tone. He then clears his throat, his normal nonchalant tone returning. "Suga will also be coming along. As much as I despise him, I know he's also a friend of yours so I'll suck it up this time." You can visualize the annoyed expression Tsukishima is making right now. His eyes averting to the ground and his brows are probably furrowed together. "Tsukishima!" Suga shouts out to him. "Ah, speak of the devil. I'll see you in a bit Y/N." Tsukishima hangs up the call and you slowly lower the phone away from your ear. You feel anxiety litter your body and your thoughts flick to Kageyama. 

A lopsided frown forms on your face. You figured Kageyama wouldn't have the courage to see you when you're up now. 

_He probably feels just as guilty._

Shaking your head, you head into the kitchen to grab a glass of water to take your pills. Twenty minutes later the doorbell rings and you're nervously standing in front of the door. You stretch your shaky hand towards the doorknob and crack it just enough for you to see through. "Good afternoon Y/L/N~" Suga happily greets you with a hand up, waving behind Tsukishima. "Why are you hiding? I told you to not stress over how you look." Tsukishima stares at you from the crack of the door. You purse your lips. Still hesitating to open the door wider. "You can slide the papers through here." 

Tsukishima narrows his eyes on you, placing his hand on the door. "Not happening Y/N." 

"I have to agree with Tsukishima this time Y/L/N. We're both coming in so..." Suga also places a hand on the door. These two are aggressive today. Tsukishima more so than usual. Drooping your shoulders, you give up and take a step back. Tsukishima and Suga carefully pushes the door open and you bow to them slightly. "I-I guess welcome to my house." 

The two politely bow to you in return, sliding their shoes off. You turn your back to them, not giving them any time to stare at you. "I have some snacks made in the dining room if you'd like some." You whisper under your breath, making your way over to the table. Suga hides his chuckle with his hand when he watches you move awkwardly. Tsukishima tries to keep a straight face when he places his backpack by the foyer. The two curiously look around the house as they make their way towards the dining room. Suga slows down when he sees a few photo frames hanging on the walls. A smile graces his face when he spots your baby photo. 

"What a cutie." Suga snickers to himself. Tsukishima clears his throat, brows knit together from Suga's comment. "What? Are you saying she doesn't look cute here Tsukishima?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Tsukishima grumbles, walking away from Suga. "Of course she looks cute." Tsukishima murmurs. You place three glasses on the dining table. Tsukishima pops into the dining room and takes a seat across from your chair. Covering your face from him you speak up, "What would you like to drink Kei? Water, tea, or lemonade?" Tsukishima sighs under his breath, his hands stretches out to your bandaged arms. Carefully he pulls your arms away to look at you directly. The color in your face pales when he's made you vulnerable. "Tea is fine." Tsukishima whispers. He lowers your arms to your side. He places the packet of schoolwork on the table. 

Quietly, you nod your head and hurry over to the kitchen to grab the pot of tea on the stove. Suga now joins in the dining room and you ask him the same question. "Tea's fine." Suga says with a smile, sitting down beside Tsukishima. You make your way over to the dining room with the tea pot.

"I'll get that for you." Suga takes the teapot out of your hand and carefully fills the three glasses with tea. You whisper a thank you when you sit down. Your eyes travel to the stack of paperwork, your shoulders drooping at the amount. Picking the packet up you flip through it. "If you'd like I can stop by afterschool to help you with your classwork. My class is going over the same thing." Tsukishima says aloud, lifting the tea up to his lips to take a sip. You shake your head quickly in response. "No, you need to focus on volleyball right now. There's another tournament this week, right?" 

"I can always practice later, Y/N." Tsukishima lowers his cup and looks at you directly. "I'm not like Kageyama. You come first before volleyball." You stiffen in your seat from Tsukishima's words. Your eyes wide in surprise. Suga quietly sighs under his breath, scratching the side of his head. "Even I feel moved by your words Tsukishima." Tsukishima relaxes his stern stare at you, turning his attention to Suga. "You're looking more and more reliable to Y/L/N than I do." Suga lowers his eyes to the tea in his cup, a sad expression paints on his face. Your chest aches when you see Suga make such a sad expression. 

"I told you before that I'm not letting her go to you so easily." Tsukishima slyly says under his breath. "Yeah, you did." Suga weakly smiles towards Tsukishima. You sense a change within Suga compared to the last time the three of you had a conversation like this. You can't ponder on the thought for long when Tsukishima returns his attention to you. "If there's something you don't understand, don't hesitate to call me. I'll be right over to help you." Tsukishima's voice doesn't waver when he speaks to you. Absentmindedly, you nod along. "O-Okay Kei." 

Tsukishima forms a half smile at you for a brief moment, his shoulders relaxing. "Well, I feel like I should do something to help you too." Suga crosses his arms and ponders on the thought. "What can I do exactly though?" He whispers to himself. "You don't have to stress yourself out to help me Suga." You whisper over to him, his scrunched face relaxes. "Just focus on volleyball practice." Suga slowly nods to your words but you can tell that your answer isn't enough for him. You break eye contact with Suga when you hear the sound of the door swinging open. Suga and Tsukishima notices your mom with full hands of grocery bags. The two of them quickly walk over to the foyer to assist her. 

The two startles her when she looks up to see two faces. "Why hello there you two." Your mom smiles at the two. Suga and Tsukishima each grab the many grocery bags away from her and make their way towards the kitchen. "I hope we're not intruding." Suga says to her from the kitchen, placing the bags down on the counter. "Of course not. I'm glad to see Y/N's friends check up on her." Your mom walks over to you, ruffling your hair before placing her purse down on the counter in the kitchen. 

"They came by to drop off my schoolwork." You stand up with the packet in your hand. "I see." Your mom smiles at you cheekily. "Did you two want to stay over for dinner? You can hang out around the house and I'll have dinner ready by six." You knit your brows together, glaring at your mom who winks at you. "Y-You don't have to. My moms a bit pushy." You stammer out to the two. "That sounds good to me." Tsukishima flashes his gaze over to you. "Y/N's had a taste of my moms cooking so I can't so no to yours Mrs. Y/L/N." A slick smirk forms on Tsukishima's face and you purse your lips together at him. 

"My parents are barely home so I'm sure they won't notice." Suga forms a small smile. Your eyes turn to look at Suga's side profile. His response seemed lonely. "Sounds like a plan." Your mom smiles from ear to ear. "I'm sure you have school work to do so why not head up to your room Y/N? I'll bring some snacks up in a bit for you three." 

"M-My room?" You squeak out. Tsukishima curiously walks over to the staircase first. "Your room is up here, right?" Tsukishima points upstairs and you hurriedly run over to stop him. "H-Hey, you're having too much fun now." Tsukishima snickers under his breath, easily moving past you. "Don't forget to grab your classwork Y/N." You exhale under your breath, stressed from how everything is out of your control. "Let's get some of this work done Y/L/N." Suga stands at the bottom step, your homework packet in his hand. Suga gently rests a hand on the top of your head, a small smile on his face. "The longer we wait down here, the more time Tsukishima has to rummage around your room." 

You pull yourself away from your thoughts, running upstairs to stop Tsukishima.


	38. Classwork with Tsukishima

You're out of breath when you reach the top floor. "God I need to work out..." You mutter under your breath. Making over to your room, you spot Tsukishima standing in the middle. Unlike your reaction to never being in a guy's room, Tsukishima is the opposite. He makes himself comfortable. "Have you been in a girls room before Kei?" You ask him when you stare at his back. Tsukishima shakes his head, his eyes looking around him. You wonder where Suga is when you turn around to see him waiting outside of your room. A flustered expression covers his face. 

"You have to show some respect Tsukishima!" Suga shouts at him from outside, his cheeks a tint pink. Tsukishima scoffs when he looks at Suga's nervous expression. "Are you sure you're the senior out of the three of us?" Tsukishima chuckles. Suga puffs out his cheeks. "I am! I-I also know to respect a woman's privacy." Suga blurts out, his eyes meet yours. "Is it alright if I come in, Y/L/N?" You nod your head, walking over to him. 

"Kei already made himself comfortable, so you don't have to be so stiff Suga." A smile forms on your face when you see his tinted cheeks. Suga nods and carefully steps into your room. Tsukishima walks over to your desk, his eyes noticing a pile of photo frames displayed. His face turns sour when he notices a photo of you and Kageyama. Despite how much Kageyama's hurt her, she still had a photo of the two together. You quietly walk over to Tsukishima, glancing at the photo frame in his hand. "Ah." You take the photo away from him. 

"Why do you still have a photo of you two together?" Tsukishima looks at you. You place the photo frame gently back on your desk. Your eyes stare at the image, a small smile on your face. "That was one of the happiest memories I had with Kageyama." You whisper, your chest clenching in pain. "A-Anyway." You turn your head slightly, picking up another frame you place it in Tsukishima's hand. "You didn't notice this one, did you?" Tsukishima lowers his eyes away from you to look at the photo frame you placed in his hand. He loses his words when he sees a photo of him that you've taken the day you two went to the park with the duck ride. His cheeks heat up slightly when he lowers the frame to look at you. 

"This is my favorite photo of you." You answer him with a smile before turning your back to him to look at Suga. Suga curiously looks at the other photo's on your desk and spots a few that you've taken during spring break. A wide smile forms on his face when he sees the selfie of the two of you together. "You framed our picture together." Suga stares at the photo with gentle eyes. Tsukishima overhears the word 'together' and walks over to the other frames. He furrows his brows together and snatches the frame up. 

"When did you two take this one?" Tsukishima doesn't hide his irritation. Suga gently takes the frame away from him, flashing him a smile. "The first time we went on a hike with Hinata and Yachi." Tsukishima grumbles under his breath, jealous. "We're taking a photo right now Y/N." Tsukishima turns around to look at you, phone in his hand. You throw your hands out, covering your face. "I told you I look horrible right now Kei." 

"And I told you, I don't care." Tsukishima retorts back, his hand gently wraps around your wrist. "You're still beautiful to me Y/N." He softly says to you, his eyes staring directly at you. You tense up, feeling your cheeks heat up from Tsukishima's straightforward compliment. Tearing your eyes away from him, you lower your eyes. "You're acting weird Kei." You bite your lower lip and you feel his hand release you. Tsukishima clears his throat, running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah..." Suga observes the two of you from afar in silence. He's conflicted with his own emotions to interfere between you two. 

A faint knock on your door catches your attention and your mom walks in with a tray of mochi and tea. She notices how the three of you are standing far apart from one another. Her eyebrow raises when she walks to the center of the room to place the tray down on the tea table. "What are you three doing?" Mom snickers under her breath. "Um." You try to think of something but nothing comes to mind. "You three should start your homework." She looks at each one of you in the eye before closing the door with a smile. Feeling embarrassed, you walk over to the tea table, taking a seat on one of the cushions.

Tsukishima and Suga joins you. Tsukishima sits beside you and Suga sits across from you. Suga places the packet in front of you and you feel your soul leave you. Groaning under your breath, you flip to the first page - math. With a pencil in hand, you hover over the first equation. Suga eyes the problem from his seat and slowly droops his shoulders. He hardly remembers how to do the formula himself. Tsukishima quietly grabs a mochi and bites into it. Your face starts to get worse by the second. A hand reaches for your pencil and Tsukishima pulls the paper between you two. The pencil in his hand quickly solves the problem. 

"Ah..." You're taken aback by how easily Tsukishima solved the problem. Suga is just as taken aback, his jaw dropping slightly. "Did you see how I solved it?" Tsukishima asks you, his face close to yours. Pursing your lips together, you inch a little away from him. "Not really..."

"This is a simple one. Have you been paying attention to your math lessons?" Tsukishima lectures you and you frown. "H-Hey, go easy on her Tsukishima." Suga interrupts the conversation. "You can't talk either Suga. I saw how you reacted to the problem." Tsukishima claps back and Suga winces. Suga awkwardly chuckles and eagerly drinks the tea. "I'm no good at math but I can help you with literature Y/L/N." You perk up from Suga's offer, nodding your head. Tsukishima pokes your cheek with the eraser of the pencil. 

"But first you need to get through math before we do that. So listen carefully to me. I don't want to repeat myself." Tsukishima lowers his eyes to the next problem, he spends the next ten minutes telling you step by step on how to solve the problem. Two hours goes by and you're still not done with the math portion of your packet. You start to feel flustered and guilty by making Tsukishima dumb things down further. Suga is long gone as he naps quietly across from the two of you. You frown, tapping your pencil on the paper. You're halfway from solving the problem and you're too afraid to ask Tsukishima for help. Tsukishima quietly observes you and notices your furrowed brows. His eyes glance down at the idle pencil in your hand. 

"You're close." Tsukishima softly says. "Multiply this number here with the others." Listening to Tsukishima, you do as he says. You then continue to work on the problem, finally getting an answer. "I-Is this the answer?" You move your paper over to Tsukishima. Your eyes nervously look at Tsukishima's expression, trying to read his thoughts. He moves his paper over to yours and you glance at his answer. You silently squeal in happiness when you see the two answers match. "I did it!" You smile to yourself, relief washes over you. Tsukishima covers his mouth, chuckling at your small celebration. Turning your head, you look at him with knit brows. "Stop laughing at me Kei. I'm not smart like you." 

Tsukishima lowers his hand, stifling his chuckle. His eyes meet yours and he smiles at you. "Sorry, that was just too cute." Tsukishima softly says. You freeze when you watch Tsukishima care-freely smile. Your words escape you when you look at him. "Let's stop for today. We've been at this for two hours." Tsukishima grabs your packet and closes it. "Your mom should be finished with dinner soon." You nod your head, shyly putting your pencil and packet away on your desk. 

"We should wake Suga up too." Tsukishima glances over at Suga who's quietly sleeping across from him. You walk away from your desk, crouching down next to Suga. You stare at Suga's sleeping face. His light grey hair covers his eyes. His innocent sleeping face pulls at your heartstrings. Tsukishima notices Y/N's face soften from gazing at Suga. His heart aches when he sees the way she looks at Suga. Biting his lip, Tsukishima leans over the tea table, shaking Suga awake by the shoulder. Suga fumbles awake, jolting his head up with a tired expression. 

"Ah, sorry!" Suga stretches his arms up, yawning. He rubs at his eyes and startles when he sees you sitting beside him. "D-Did you two finish already?" You shake your head. "Mom should be finished with dinner soon so we're stopping for the night." Suga tiredly forms a smile when he looks at you. "I'm excited to taste her cooking." You form a smile of your own when you look at Suga. "We should make our way downstairs. Dad should be home too." You walk over to the door to open it. Tsukishima and Suga both stand up and walk out first, you follow right behind them. 

Suga inhales the scent of dinner, a wide smile forms on his face and he quickens his pace down the stairs. "It smells delicious in here Mrs. Y/L/N." Mom is smitten from Suga's words, a smile forms on her face. "I'm glad you think so too Suga." Dad calls out from the kitchen and you watch Suga visibly stiffen. You giggle under your breath at the reaction. "Ah, it's nice to see you too Tsukishima." Dad grins at the two of them. "Take a seat in the dining room, we'll be right over." The three of you walk over to the dining table and Tsukishima eyes you from behind. You turn around to look at him with a raised brow. "Are you going to sit down Kei?" 

Tsukishima scrunches his nose, avoiding your eyes when he replies to you. "I'm waiting for you to sit down first. I'm not letting Suga sit next to you." Suga chuckles under his breath. "That's a bit childish coming from you Tsukishima." Suga sits down first and you take a seat across from him. "From my seat I'll be able to see Y/L/N directly, so it's not too bad." Suga slyly comments when Tsukishima takes a seat next to you. Tsukishima furrows his brows, holding back his tongue when your parents join the three of you at the table. Mom sits beside Suga and dad sits at the head of the table. 

Suga's eyes sparkle when he sees the plate your dad sets in the middle of the table. 

_Tonkatsu._

Dad grins when he sees Suga's reaction. "Help yourself you two." Mom looks at Suga and Tsukishima. The two thank them for the food before picking up their chopsticks. Suga doesn't hesitate to pick up a piece of tonkatsu. Dad chuckles at the sight and grins when he sees Suga happily eat. "Y/N wasn't lying about you liking my tonkatsu." Suga makes sure to swallow the piece he's chewing before replying to Y/L/N's dad. "It's extremely delicious, sir." Suga lowers his chopsticks to his bowl, eyeing you from the corner of his eye. "But I think you have some competition. Y/L/N might be coming after your signature dish." 

You flush from Suga's words, nibbling your bottom lip. "Oh?" Dad cheekily grins at you, taking a bite of the steamed cabbage with his bed of rice. You notice Tsukishima eyeing the dishes before him, unsure which one he should try first. You recall the day you ate with Tsukishima's family and decide to treat Tsukishima the same way he did to you. You couldn't forget how embarrassed you felt because of Tsukishima. Reaching over for a tonkatsu slice, you raise it up to Tsukishima's lips. His eyes widen briefly and he turns to look at you, a flustered expression on his face. His trademark angry attitude greets you but you can sense the slight gentleness to his tone.

"I can feed myself Y/N." You take the chance to put the piece of tonkatsu into his mouth. Tsukishima seems taken aback from your forcefulness. "That's payback for embarrassing me in front of Akiteru and your mom." You smirk to yourself. Tsukishima lowers his eyes to his bowl of rice, tinted cheeks as he chews. Your mom giggles at the interaction and speaks up."Suga, don't you feel left out that these two are flirting in front of you?" You choke on your rice when you hear your mom. Suga widens his eyes and hands you a glass of water while Tsukishima lightly pats your back.

"H-Honey." Dad also seems surprised from your mom's comment. "I'm not bothered by it Mrs. Y/L/N." Suga nervously smiles at her. "Hm...that's not what I see." Mom cheekily says beside Suga. You've calmed down after chugging the water Suga gave you. "I'm not flirting." You squeak out. Suga extends a tonkatsu to you, a small smile on his face. 

"I know you're not Y/L/N." Suga softly says. Tsukishima grabs the piece out of Suga's chopsticks and eats it before you do. "Ah..." You frown at the interaction. Your parents however are both smiling from ear to ear at the scene before them. "That was for Y/L/N, Tsukishima." Suga looks at Tsukishima who silently chews on the tonkatsu. "There's more than enough for everyone." Dad interjects, placing a piece in your bowl. You thank him, finally taking a bite of food. The rest of dinner continues like this until the table is clear. 

After dinner you walk Suga and Tsukishima to the foyer to see them off. The two slide their shoes on and grab their backpacks. "Thank you for coming by today." You say to the both of them. Suga smiles at you, nodding his head. "Call me if you need any help with the rest of your work." 

"That's my line." Tsukishima grumbles beside him, his eyes sharply looks at you. "Make sure to take your medicine before you go to bed." Pressing your lips together, you look at Tsukishima. "You don't have to remind me." Tsukishima smirks, raising an eyebrow. "Says the girl who can't do simple math." Flustered, you grumble at Tsukishima, your wall of not showing Tsukishima your irritation is being chipped away. "Simple for you Kei." You murmur. 

"Careful Tsukishima, the more you bully her, the easier she'll lean on me." Suga curtly says. His response surprises the two of you. Tsukishima looks at Suga with a glare while you stare at Suga bewildered. Suga ignores Tsukishima and turns his attention to you. "Get some rest Y/L/N." He raises a hand to say goodbye and exits first. Tsukishima clicks his tongue, still upset over Suga's statement. "Text me if you need anything and I'll rush over. I mean it." Tsukishima sternly stares at you before hurrying off to bicker at Suga. 

You place a hand on the door knob, watching the two leave. A warm feeling in your chest bubbles and you smile when you watch Suga and Tsukishima walk away. Closing the door behind you, your phone chimes in your pocket. You fumble to get your phone out and see a single text.


	39. This time for sure

You stare at your phone screen with wavering eyes. 

_What did Kageyama text you for?_

Unsure how to reply, you slide your phone back into your pocket. Another text comes through.

You bite your lower lip, a tightness in your chest forms. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Kageyama stares at his phone, awaiting a reply from Y/L/N. "Good practice today Kageyama. See you tomorrow!" Hinata shouts beside him. Kageyama nods his head, flicking his eyes away from his phone. He watches Hinata rush over to Yachi who's been waiting for him. Seeing the two brings back old memories of Y/L/N waiting for him. Kageyama shuts his eyes but he then only see's an image of Y/L/N laying in the hospital bed. "Ugh." Kageyama angrily ruffles his hair. Guilt has been eating at him during practice. Kageyama noticed Tsukishima and Suga exiting the school entrance that afternoon but didn't think anything of it. The thought of those two visiting Y/L/N only came across his mind halfway through practice. 

No way were those two just hanging out after school. Tsukishima made it clear that he's not letting his guard down around Suga the day the three of them ran to the hospital. Kageyama is aware of Tsukishima's feelings towards Y/L/N and he would be lying if he said it didn't bother him. Kageyama shoves his hands into his pockets, his mind disarray from his emotions. He quietly walks home. Thoughts of whether he should go see Y/L/N clouds over his mind. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You decide to ignore Kageyama's text. Closing the bedroom door, you're now alone in your room. The faint smell of Tsukishima and Suga lingers. You quietly walk over to your desk and reach over for the photo of Kageyama and you. Kageyama's shy smile stares back at you. Your parents took this photo of the two of you the day you both finished middle school. You graze your fingers over Kageyama's face, a sadness washes over you. Not wanting to wallow in sadness any longer you place the photo back up and head to the bathroom to wash up. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After a hot shower, you walk over to your sink. Your eyes stare at the skincare that lays out on the counter. Flicking your eyes up to the mirror you quickly avoid meeting your own reflection. Nervously you raise your fingers to your face, wincing at the pain. "There's no way I'm going to apply my skincare." You murmur to yourself. You decide to dry your hair at least, grabbing the hair dryer from a drawer. Your emotions have calmed down while you quietly dry your hair. But your thoughts is running a marathon when you think back to yesterdays quarrel. You question yourself. 

_Why'd you let the upperclassman's words bother you so much?_

You lower the hair dryer, a sigh escaping your lips. You know exactly why her words bothered you and you know why you're unwilling to meet Tsukishima's feelings. Your phone chimes on the counter of the sink.

You stare at your phone in disbelief. Your body moves on it's own when you flick the hair dryer off, hurrying downstairs. "Y/N?" Your mom calls out to you from the living room. Her head turns to look at you, opening the door. Your mom notices Kageyama standing there and she jabs your dad in the sides. "W-What?!" Dad jumps from your moms pestering fingers. "Look!" She whisper yells. "What's Kageyama doing here?" Dad turns to look at the entrance, raising an eyebrow. "Kageyama..." You whisper out his name, your eyes looking up to him. His piercing blue eyes stares at your damp hair, your bruised face, and then your eyes. He doesn't say a word and you notice his conflicted expression. 

You decide to initiate further conversation. "What are you doing here?" You question him. "I wanted to see you." Kageyama says those words confidently. Your breath hitches when you look at Kageyama. The moon shines behind him, casting a shadow over his face. Lowering your head, you nibble your bottom lip. You thought Kageyama didn't want to face you because you figured he felt too guilty. But here he is, telling you the opposite. Kageyama carefully places a hand on the top of your head. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me." Kageyama whispers. "I wasn't brave enough to stop the situation." 

You keep your head down, feeling anxiety crawl through your palm as Kageyama speaks. "I wasn't brave enough to be by your bedside either." Kageyama slowly strokes your head. He bitterly speaks about himself. "I can't wrap my mind around the reasoning you put yourself in these situations because of me Y/N." He pulls his hand away, waiting for you to meet his eyes in response. Nervously, you look up to him. Your entire being vulnerable in front of him. "Isn't it obvious, Kageyama?" Your words tremble as you speak. "There's a small part of me that still loves you." 

Kageyama shuts his eyes, not wanting to look at you. Tears slowly drip from your eyes when you watch him shut down from your words. "I don't like it as much as you do Kageyama." You weakly blurt out. "How can I still have feelings for someone who can't protect me?" Your lips tremble and you feel your heart ache. Kageyama hides his face with his hands, frustrated at himself. Here he is again, at your doorstep making you cry. 

"I know." Kageyama murmurs. "I know."

You silently stare at Kageyama, the tears staining your cheeks. "I'm not worthy of your love Y/N. I've said that before. Yet, I came running here hoping you'd say you still had feelings for me." Kageyama pauses. "That's selfish of me." Kageyama lowers his hands away from his face to look at you directly. "Y/N there's someone else who deserves your love." Kageyama's voice trembles when he continues to speak. "As much as it pains me to admit it, Tsukishima or Suga are a better fit. So don't ignore their feelings because of the small amount of love you have towards me." 

Just then you feel your heart break but also a weight lift off your chest. Kageyama's words seem to ease your pain somewhat. Hearing Kageyama directly tell you to love someone else seems to clear the heartache you've carried. "I hope they'll cherish every little bit of you." Kageyama forces a smile on his pained face. You can't form a response to Kageyama. With shaky eyes you watch Kageyama lower his head to you, he turns his back and dashes away. Your legs give out and you plop yourself onto the floor. You then cry loudly to yourself and your parents hurry to your side. 

At this moment you decide to completely let go of Kageyama. No strings attached. 


	40. Late night phone call

Your dad carefully lifts you up in a princess carry and brings you upstairs to your bedroom. "You know...I don't know how to feel about Kageyama. He's constantly breaking your heart." Dad grumbles in your ear as you sniffle. He pushes the bedroom door open wider and sits you in your bed. Dad gently ruffles your hair and kisses your forehead. "Get some rest Y/N." He whispers a quick I love you and closes your door. You lifelessly lay back in your bed. Your nose and eyes red from crying your heart out. You pull your phone out, tapping on the call button. Hesitation fills you when you're unsure who to call right now. Your emotions are a mess and you just want to hear someone's voice other than your own thoughts. The first person in your recent calls is Tsukishima.

Your finger hovers over his name and you debate whether or not you should call him. You clearly know his feelings for you and you know where you stand with his emotions. You are not in the mind space to return his feelings and you'd hate to lean on him to give him the wrong idea. Forcing your eyes shut you lower the phone by your pillow. As if Tsukishima could read your mind, your phone vibrates beside you. Tsukishima's name flashes on the screen. You accept the call without a second thought. The craving of comfort overpowers your willpower.

"I'm surprised you picked up. Did you take your medicine?" Tsukishima's voice only makes you more depressed. His voice makes it more apparent that you're alone. You weakly reply to him through falling tears. "No." Tsukishima didn't pick up on your tears when he sighs. "So what you're telling me is that you enjoy the pain you're forcing yourself to go through?" You faintly hear the sound of a towel ruffling through Tsukishima's hair. You part your lips to reply but you close your mouth, unable to respond. The only pain you're feeling right now is in your heart. Tsukishima quietly waits for you to reply but your response never comes out.

"Stop being stubborn and take the medicine Y/N." You can hear Tsukishima's slight attitude, your heart throbbing from your sadness. "Kei." Your voice stammers out when you call out his name in the darkness of your room. Tsukishima's breath hitches and you hear it over the phone. "Kageyama came over earlier...and I'm heartbroken." The words tremble out from your throat and you start to sob again. Tsukishima clicks his tongue quietly. "I'm coming over."

"No don't." You blurt out. "It's late Kei."

"Idiot, you can't just tell me you're heartbroken and expect me to stay here." Tsukishima angrily retorts over the phone. Your chest tightens from his kindness and you press the phone closer to your ear so Tsukishima's voice can push out your depressing thoughts. "Can you just keep me company like this?" Your voice is barely audible when you ask Tsukishima for his company. A drawled out sigh fills your ears. "What am I going to do with you Y/N..." Tsukishima gently responds to you in a soft sweet tone. Your tears slowly fall when you listen to him. You hear Tsukishima rustling in the background. He lays down in his bed, taking his glasses off and placing it on his night stand. "So why did that jerk visit you?"

You purse your lips together, hesitating to recall everything. "He wanted to see me." You answer honestly. Visions of Kageyama's conflicted face flashes before you and you push his image away. Tsukishima grumbles under his breath and his words are incoherent despite the phone being by him. You continue, "He wondered the reason why I would put myself in such situations for him yesterday and I answered honestly." Closing your eyes you whisper the exact words to Tsukishima, "There's a small part of me that still loves you." Your voice wavers and you feel more tears slide down your face. There's a silence from Tsukishima. The only sound on his end is his light breathing.

"Ah..." Tsukishima weakly responds. "You know how to hurt me Y/N." Tsukishima bitterly smiles to himself. You bite your lower lip from Tsukishima's words. "How did Kageyama react?" Tsukishima continues the conversation despite the aching pain he's feeling. Your eyes stare at your empty bedside. "He said he wasn't worthy of my love."

"Damn right he isn't. Fucking idiot didn't know what he lost." Tsukishima doesn't hold back his anger towards Kageyama. "He also said as much as it hurts him...you or Suga are a better fit. He also hopes one of you will cherish every little bit of me." Your voice breaks when you recall Kageyama's words. The forced smile Kageyama shown you resurfaces your mind and you start to sob louder. You're unsure how your heart can handle so much heartache from a single person as you continue to cry into your pillow. Tsukishima presses the phone to his ear, unsure what is the correct thing to say to you while you're crying.

"I'm not going to speak on Suga's behalf but...I'd like to remind you again Y/N. I'm going to risk it all until you accept my love." Tsukishima hears Y/N's sobbing soften and he continues to express his emotions. "There's not a moment in my dull life that you're not on my mind. Your clumsy idiotic selfless self." Tsukishima's tone is gentle and delicate to your ears. His emotions reminding you of your feelings for Kageyama when you first fell in love.

_The feeling so pure, innocent, and vulnerable._

"You make me say the most stupidest illogical things." Tsukishima pauses, dryly chuckling under his breath. "But I don't hate it if these words touch you in some way. Whether it's affectionate or just gives you comfort." You're consumed by Tsukishima's voice, the tears subsiding. "I really like you Y/N and I'll tell you this many more times until you get sick of me or when you break my heart. Whichever comes first." Just when you thought your eyes couldn't produce anymore tears, you feel your cheeks wet again.

"I think you're the idiot Kei..." You whisper into your phone and a low rumble of Tsukishima's chuckle fills your ears.

"Maybe I am."


	41. You're powerless

"Tsukki, how did the visit go yesterday?" Yamaguchi curiously asks Tsukishima, the two sit down in their seats of their homeroom. Tsukishima is more quiet today than usual. "It went fine." Tsukishima murmurs, sliding his headphones on and resting his head on his desk under his folded arms. Yamaguchi notices Tsukishima's distant behavior and forms a worried expression. He bites his tongue wanting to ask Tsukishima if he's okay but decides not to. A group of girls huddle by the door outside, watching Kageyama intensely. 

"Have a good day Kageyama!!" A girl blurts out, giggling next to her friends. Kageyama ignores them, his head low. Despite blasting music in his ear, Tsukishima senses Kageyama's presence in the room. Tsukishima's eyes darken when he's reminded of Y/N's crying last night and the reasoning for her tears. Tsukishima stayed on the phone with her until she fell asleep last night. His emotions riling up. Tsukishima lifts his head up, lowering his headphones around his neck.

"Kageyama." Tsukishima calls out to Kageyama who's halfway in his chair in the middle of the classroom. "What." Kageyama bluntly answers. "We need to talk." Tsukishima gets up from his seat. "Courtyard. Now." Tsukishima doesn't utter another word when he walks past Kageyama, hands in his pockets. Yamaguchi forms wide eyes when he watches Tsukishima leave first. His eyes flick over to Kageyama who grumbles under his breath.

"W-What happened to those two." Yamaguchi's worry evolves when he sees the two disappear from the classroom. Other students begin to gossip in the classroom. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Why are you being annoying so early in the morning for." Kageyama glares at Tsukishima's back. The two find a quiet spot to talk away from lurking eyes. Tsukishima scrunches his face together, balling his hands into fists. Tsukishima jerks his body around, glaring at Kageyama in the eyes. "Why'd you show up at Y/N's house last night? Do you enjoy hurting her you masochist?" Tsukishima clenches his teeth, anger flickering in his eyes. Kageyama stares at Tsukishima in surprise, his lips parting slightly. He downcast his eyes, a weak smile on his face. "So she called you." 

Seeing the smile on Kageyama's face irritates Tsukishima further. "She didn't." Kageyama stiffens, raising his eyebrow. "Y/N wouldn't go out of her way to contact me as much as I'd want her to." The words slipping through Tsukishima's lips stabs him directly in the chest. Tsukishima knows Y/N would rather drown in her sorrows than to call him. She didn't want to give Tsukishima false hope. "You went to see her for your own selfish reasons, didn't you?" Tsukishima refocuses on the conversation. Kageyama still doesn't meet Tsukishima's glare. 

"I did." Kageyama says in a low voice. His fingers running through his jet black hair. "I wanted to hear her say she loves me one last time." Kageyama raises his head, a serious look in his eyes. "Because I know she's going to say those words to someone else." Kageyama tries to compose himself, his emotions starting to crack from his fake calmness. "I figured after we broke up, my life wouldn't have changed much. But I was dead fucking wrong." Kageyama forces his eyes shut, not wanting to fall apart in front of Tsukishima. "I didn't know how much a single person changed everything around me. I took Y/N's patience and attention for granted."

Tsukishima quietly listens to Kageyama, his anger slowly dissipating when he notices the pain Kageyama is showing him. 

"I'm so powerless compared to how strong Y/N is." Kageyama's lips tremble. "Ever since we left the hospital I keep having these images of how those girls hurt her. The amount of fear and powerlessness she must've had and her disgust by the onlookers." Kageyama slowly opens his eyes. "Who was she calling out for as she's being beaten? I pray it wasn't me." A tear slides down Kageyama's face. "I wouldn't have been able to protect her. My body failed me the first time when she was slapped."

Tsukishima takes the silence as an opening to speak up. "Well, you're right about being powerless." Tsukishima slowly walks over to Kageyama. "Unlike you Kageyama, I'm willing to do anything to protect her. The same way she protected me from you." Tsukishima looks at Kageyama with a piercing stare before walking past him, brushing his shoulder against Kageyama purposely. 


	42. I'm ready for love again

The sound of punching rings through your ears. Your eyes shut, afraid to witness the brutality you're receiving. A wicked laughter echoes in your head. "Fucking pathetic." The voice of a girl reverberates. "Stop!" You weakly say between breaths, your cheeks sting from your tears but the physical abuse only continues. "No one is here to save you. You should've stayed in your lane Y/N." Another voice cuts through the cold air. 

You feel a pair of hands on your legs, dragging you somewhere. You throw out your hands, trying to grasp anything but you only catch air. Fluttering your eyes open slowly, your breath hitches when you see the person in front of you. "K-Kageyama?" Your voice trembles when you say his name. He hovers behind the girls, empty eyes staring at you. Another hand swings towards your face and you wince when their fist meets your right eye. Your mind runs frantic when you stare at Kageyama. He lacks emotion and he quietly watches the girls hurt you. 

"He's not going to save you Y/N. He's just as pathetic as you are." The blonde girl says between clench teeth. Her fist meets your face over and over. The pain starts to numb you, your heart aching at the situation you're in. 

"Kageyama please!" You cry out to him but he turns his back against you. You grow hysterical when you watch his back turn smaller and smaller. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Suga glances at his phone. The text he sent to Y/L/N hasn't been read yet. Furrowing his brows together with a frown, he slides his phone away and rings the doorbell to her home. Suga decided to pay Y/L/N a visit after school. He overheard Tsukishima and Kageyama's conversation this morning in the courtyard when he was exiting the gym from his practice. The door opens and Suga is greeted by Y/L/N's dad.

"Oh, what brings you here Suga?" Her dad flashes a warm smile towards Suga. "I just came by to check up on Y/L/N. She wasn't answering me so I was worried." Suga shyly smiles, scratching the back of his head. Y/L/N's dad smirks at Suga's response, he steps aside to let Suga in. "She's probably still asleep from her nap. She took her medicine two hours ago." Suga bows slightly, stepping inside and sliding his shoes off. "If you'd like, you can check up on her." Y/L/N's dad closes the door behind Suga and walks back towards the living room. Suga nods his head and excuses himself. 

Suga quietly walks upstairs and down the hallway towards Y/L/N's bedroom. His hand nervously hovers over the doorknob. "Ah...should I wake her up?" Suga nibbles his bottom lip, his face heating up. Squeezing his eyes shut, he knocks quietly before entering. "I'm coming in Y/L/N." Suga whispers, turning the doorknob to her bedroom door open. Suga slowly opens his eyes and spots Y/L/N in bed, still asleep. His eyes narrow onto her face and he notices her scrunched expression. "Y/L/N?" Suga calls out to her. Tears slide down her face and she quietly calls out a name Suga can barely hear from his position. Suga hurries over to her side, her body tossing and turning. 

"She's having a nightmare." Suga frowns. He carefully extends a hand towards her, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "Kage..." Y/L/N whimpers. "Kageyama." Suga tenses when he hears the name Y/L/N cries out for. His eyes waver when he looks at Y/L/N, a frown forming on his face. Sighing, he pulls his hand away and runs his fingers through his light grey hair. "Why is that bothering me..." Suga mumbles under his breath, slightly annoyed. Shaking his head, Suga refocuses on waking Y/L/N up. Placing a hand on her head, Suga strokes her hair. 

"Y/L/N, you're having a nightmare." Suga speaks up, his voice sounding louder in his ear than it actually is. With his other hand he gives her a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. With a jolt, Y/L/N frantically sits up and Suga quickly pulls his hands back to his sides. Her fingers messily run through hair hair and she gasps for air. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Your chest feels tight and your eyes are blurry from your sleep crying. Your vision clears up and you see your blanket in your lap. You realize you've woken up from your nightmare. "Y/L/N." A voice speaks from beside you and you nervously look over. Raising your eyebrows you see Suga. "S-Suga?" You stutter out his name. Taking in the situation you fumble to wipe away your tears. Suga reaches out to stop your frantic hands, his large hand wraps around your wrists. 

"Hey, calm down." Suga lightly chuckles, lowering your wrists to your sides. He takes a seat on the bed by your legs. You quietly obey Suga, calming your racing heart. "What are you doing here Suga?" Your eyes flick over to the clock on your wall. "You're suppose to be at practice." You return your gaze to Suga, his gentle smile greets you. "I practiced early this morning so I could check up on you after school. I'm more responsible than you think Y/L/N." Suga sticks out his tongue playfully. You purse your lips, lowering your eyes.

_That was cute._

Silence fills the conversation and Suga speaks up again. "Were you having a nightmare?" You raise your head to look at Suga, nodding your head to his question. "Want to talk about it?" Suga lowers his hand from your wrist to your hand, he gives your hand a gentle squeeze. You feel your face heat up from Suga's touch. He patiently waits for your answer like he always does. 

You part your lips open, "I had a dream those girls were beating me up again." Anxiety litters your body when you vividly see the dream in your mind. "And..." You pause when you remember Kageyama's hallow eyes. "Kageyama was in your dream, wasn't he?" Suga carefully says these words to you. Your eyes widen, slowly nodding your head. "How did you know that? Is it that obvious?" 

Suga lowers his eyes to your hand in his, he quietly intertwines his fingers with yours. A melancholy expression paints on Suga's face when he answers you, "You were calling out his name." You notice the pained expression on Suga, your lips twitching into a frown. 

_Why does Suga look so sad?_

Suga pulls his hand away from yours, he raises his voice slightly high to ease the atmosphere. "Did he do something wrong?" You hesitate to answer Suga. Your mind more curious about Suga than your nightmare. "Is something wrong Suga?" You change the topic, worry on your face. Suga startles in front of you, tilting his head. "No, not at all." Suga returns to his usual smile. 

You bite your lower lip, not believing him. "I'm just worried about you." Suga holds a gentle stare towards you. "I overheard Tsukishima and Kageyama's conversation earlier this morning." You hold your breath when you hear Suga speak. 

_Tsukishima confronted Kageyama?_

"Seems like Kageyama hurt you again, didn't he?" Suga's tone is much softer, he tries to not furrow his brows together in frustration. You nod your head slowly. "He did...but I think I needed him to hurt me this one last time." Suga raises an eyebrow, confused by your statement. "I think he gave me the closure I needed to fully move on." You grip onto your blanket, staring at your lap. "I told myself last night that I'm letting go of Kageyama for real now." Raising your head, you flash a determined expression to Suga. 

"I'm not going to be afraid to fall in love again." 

Suga widens his eyes briefly. His eyes relax and he dryly chuckles under his breath. Extending his hand, he ruffles your hair. "That's good to hear Y/L/N." Your shoulders relax when Suga's laughter fills your ears. Suga clears his throat and whispers. "I'm sure Tsukishima would be happy to hear that." You pick up Suga's words and a bittersweet feeling creeps into your chest. It's your turn to reach out for Suga's hand. "Who says I'm going to give Kei my heart." You blurt out, squeezing Suga's hand. 

Suga is speechless when he looks at you. "B-Because he has feelings for you Y/L/N. Wouldn't you like to return those feelings?" Biting your tongue, you avert your eyes. "I can't." 

"Is there a reason why?" Suga asks curiously. Releasing your hold on Suga you place your hand over your heart. "Kei makes my heart ache but..." You slowly look into Suga's hazel brown eyes. Suga looks at you directly, head tilting to the side. You forget your reasoning the longer you stare at Suga. Your eyes fall to Suga's lips and you're reminded of the day Tsukishima kissed you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you shake your head back and forth. Face flushed red.

"W-What did you just envision Y/L/N?!" Suga nervously stutters. You pull your blanket over your head to hide from Suga's curious eyes. "Nothing!" Your voice full of lies. 

"Hey, you can't leave me hanging." Suga playfully whines, tugging the blanket off of you. With blushing cheeks you glare at Suga. "It'll feel too forced if I return my feelings to Kei." Suga is taken aback by your glare, he nods his head. "Okay, okay." Suga chuckles at your cute expression. 

"What about you Suga?" 

"What about me?" Suga raises an eyebrow. 

"Have you fallen in love yet?" You're curious about his answer. Suga responds with silence, his eyes staring at the ceiling. The silence eats at you while you wait for Suga's response. 

"I haven't put much thought about falling in love." Suga carefully answers your question. He turns his attention back to you, smiling. "I've been too busy with thoughts of you, Y/L/N." At that moment, the sun rays perfectly casts against Suga's face making him look more angelic than he normally is. Simultaneously you feel your heart skip a beat. "There's never a moment when I'm not thinking of you Y/L/N." Suga rests his hand on your head. "You've made it impossible for me not to worry about you." 


	43. Just kidding

The sound of your heartbeat loudly thumps in your ear as you stare at Suga speechless. Suga pulls his hand away and smirks at you playfully. "Just kidding." Suga softly says into the quiet room. As quickly as your heart raced, it dropped just as fast. "W-What?" You raise your voice, confused. 

_Suga was toying with you just now?_

Suga covers his mouth with his hand, chuckling. "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying things like that nonchalantly." Furrowing your brows together, you grab your pillow and throw it towards Suga. "When did you suddenly turn into a clown?" Your cheeks flushing red from embarrassment. For a moment there you ate up every word Suga spoke. Suga catches the thrown pillow with no hesitation and places it back on your lap. 

"Sorry, sorry." Suga grins from ear to ear, not looking apologetic at all. You loudly sigh under your breath, lifting the blanket off of you. "I'm going to the bathroom." You grumble out, leaving Suga alone in your bedroom. Suga relaxes his shoulders when Y/N disappears from his view. He places a hand over his racing heartbeat and exhales. His face heats up when he thinks back to his words just earlier. Suga decided to lie saying it was a joke because of the awkward atmosphere between the two. He really meant every word but decided to backtrack. Knitting his brows together he wonders if that was the correct choice.

Sighing again, Suga hides his face with his palms. Frustrated, he frowns. "Now I understand what Tsukishima meant." Suga murmurs to himself. 

"What about Tsukishima?" You raise an eyebrow when you notice Suga covering his face. His body stiffens when he hears your voice. Suga lowers his hands and awkwardly chuckles. "Nothing." Suga forces a smile towards you. Pursing your lips, you decide to not pester Suga further. Nodding your head you walk over to your desk and grab your schoolwork packet. Suga watches you sit down by the tea table and joins you. "Made any progress since yesterday?" Suga asks you from across the table. You smile, nodding to his question. 

"I finished the math section earlier today. I'll have to text Tsukishima to double check my answers." Suga quietly watches you flip through your packet, the serious look on your face is adorable to him. "What subject are you working on today?" Suga rests his cheek on his palm, staring at you with a gentle gaze. Your eyes glue to the packet in front of you, "English." You smile, looking up to look at Suga. You're slightly surprised by the kind gaze Suga stares at you with. 

Feeling your heart skip a beat, you downcast your eyes quickly. 

"Finally something I can help you with." Suga stands up and walks around the tea table, plopping himself next to you. You start to get nervous despite how often Suga was close to you before. You're now more aware of your friendliness than before. Your shoulders lightly brush up against each other when Suga leans in to look at the assignment. "Hmm..." Suga's voice hums beside your ear, your eyes wavering. The familiar scent of linen and citrus fills your nose. You're in a daze by Suga's scent and absentmindedly ignore him. "Y/L/N?" Suga turns to look at you, his face close to yours. 

Seeing his hazel brown eyes so close to you makes you lean back, your hands frantically covering your lips. Suga raises an eyebrow, confused from your reaction. You reflexively covered your mouth thinking Suga was going to kiss you like Tsukishima had before. Your face flushes bright red and you awkwardly lower your hands back to the table. With downcast eyes you squeak out an apology. "Sorry, I thought you were..." Your words fall silent before you can finish your sentence. 

Suga slowly connects the dots. He's now aware of how close you two are and quickly scoots over to give you some distance. "Ah, I..." Suga bites his tongue, carefully thinking about his words. He shyly looks away from you and whispers, "I wouldn't just randomly kiss you Y/L/N." You nod your head slowly to his words. 

"Right. You wouldn't kiss someone you don't have feelings for anyway." You stare at the packet in front of you, gripping onto the pen Tsukishima gave you. Clearing your throat and shaking away the weird thoughts in your mind, you focus on your assignment. Suga quietly looks at you from his seat, his face contorting from wanting to say something to saying nothing at all. He decides on the latter. The sound of your pen against the paper replaces the silence of the room. The silence doesn't bother you much while you focus on your work. Suga lowers his head to his arms on the tea table, sleepiness clouds his mind and his eyelids feel heavy. Not long after Suga falls asleep while you work on your assignment. 

An hour goes by and you hear Suga's soft breathing beside you. Your eyes turn to look at him and you see an innocent sleeping face reflect back at you. The corner of your lips curve into a smile. Lowering your pen from your hand, you take a moment to look at Suga. He must've been tired from waking up early for practice. You nervously reach your hand out, gently moving his bangs away from his face. Suga startles you when he moves slightly and you quickly pull your hand back. You're pulled away from staring at Suga when you hear a soft knock on your door. Slowly you get up to answer the door.

You figured it was one of your parents but when the door clicks open you see a tall figure with blonde hair. "Kei-" You stop mid sentence when you notice a bruise on his face. Your eyes widen at how red and swollen his cheek is. Not thinking anything of it, you reach out to touch Tsukishima's bruise. Expecting him to wince, you're the one that freezes when Tsukishima places his hand over top yours. A distant gaze in his eyes when you look at Tsukishima. 

"W-What happen to you?" You quietly stutter out. 

"A volleyball may have been thrown my way multiple times during practice." Tsukishima replies to you with the same quietness. You knit your brows together, slowly you lower your hand but Tsukishima holds your hand in place. "Are you sure you're a blocker Kei." You slyly say towards him. Tsukishima lightly chuckles, resting his cheek against your palm. Your hand reflexively twitches from the sudden physical touch of Tsukishima's cheek. You purse your lips together, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks. 

"I was too distracted with thoughts of you. I couldn't focus on the game. Kageyama took advantage of that and sent the ball towards me every chance he had." Tsukishima slowly releases your hand. His brows then furrow together and he turns his attention to Suga who is sleeping. "I also couldn't stop thinking about how Suga was alone with you." Tsukishima relaxes his face when he stares at you. "But I guess I had nothing to worry about. The idiot is asleep over there." Your heart aches when you look at Tsukishima. You were constantly on his mind while he's barely on yours. Your chest tightens and you start to hate yourself for not feeling the same way towards him. 

Stepping aside you motion for him to come in. "I'll get some ice for your face." You slur your words when you walk past him. Your legs walk downstairs on their own while your mind is a mess. You quickly say hi to your parents who are relaxing in the living room while watching the television. Opening the fridge you feel the coolness of the freezer. The icy feeling cools your flustered self. Opening a drawer for a plastic Ziploc bag, you fill it up with ice cubes. Slowly, you walk back upstairs, stopping at the front door. 

Behind your bedroom door sits two guys who worry over you terribly. Both for two different reasons. Your chest feels full of warmth and you're thankful that the two of them care so much about you. But in the back of your mind, you're afraid of the outcome when you'll find someone you love. 

_Would these two still stick by you?_

You highly doubt it. Especially Tsukishima. You were deathly afraid for the day Tsukishima will be heartbroken by you. Biting harshly on your lower lip, you open your door. Tsukishima is busily looking over your work and Suga is still sound asleep. You're careful to not wake Suga when you sit beside him.

"Put this on your cheek Kei." You softly say to him, extending the bag of ice to him. Tsukishima takes the bag from you, your fingers grazing against each others. You nervously jerk your hand away, feeling embarrassed that you're the only one acting like this. Tsukishima returns his eyes to your math answers. "I'm surprised you finished the rest by yourself." Tsukishima flips to the next page. His eyes jolting from one problem to the next. 

"I had a patient tutor." A smile forms on your face when you look at Tsukishima. His eyes quickly look up to you, a look of bewilderment etches on his face. Scrunching his nose, you notice his cheeks turn a shade pink. "Idiot, don't say things like that." Tsukishima presses the ice pack closer to his cheek, praying the ice would cool down his blushing face. After flipping through five pages of math, Tsukishima stops at the English section. 

"I'm guessing Suga was helping you with this part?" Tsukishima slides the paper back to you. "Not exactly." You turn to look at Suga who is sound asleep. "He was waiting to help me but most of the questions are easy for me. Suga fell asleep waiting." Tsukishima narrows his eyes on Suga. "He must feel comfortable around you if he let's his guard down so easily." You never really noticed until Tsukishima pointed that out to you. 

"I-I guess so." You sheepishly answer. Something about that irritates Tsukishima, his face scrunching up again. You notice the time from the clock on your wall, the time 5:32PM. "Ah, it's almost 6 already?" You murmur the words to yourself. You turn your attention to Tsukishima. "I'd hate to keep you both out late again." 

"I don't mind Y/N." Tsukishima lowers the ice pack from his cheek. "But I also don't want to intrude your parents so..." Tsukishima turns his attention to Suga. "Let's wake him up." Nodding your head, you call out to Suga. Your hand gently resting on his shoulder. "Suga, it's time for you to go home." Carefully you shake him. Suga groggily lifts his head and tiredly opens his eyes. "Agh...did I fall asleep on you again Y/L/N?" 

"Yeah, you did." Tsukishima cuts into the conversation. Suga slowly turns his head to look at Tsukishima, a small smile on his face. "Oh. I figured you'll be here eventually Tsukishima." Suga sits up, stretching his arm up. "Sorry, I didn't realize how tired I was." Suga apologizes to you. "It's fine. Just make sure to get more rest when you get home." You look at Suga with worried eyes. Suga rests his hand on your head, ruffling your hair slightly. "You should do the same. We miss seeing you at school." 

Tsukishima grumbles under his breath from Suga's friendliness. "The team misses their assistant manager." Tsukishima says towards you. "If you're up for it, please attend our game this weekend." Tsukishima's tone is much softer when he speaks to you. A small smile caresses your face and you nod your head. The three of you stand up and make your way downstairs. Tsukishima and Suga both say their farewells to your parents and you see them off at the door. 

"Make sure to practice you two. Don't you dare come by again tomorrow, I'm not opening the door." You look at Suga and then to Tsukishima. Suga flashes a grin at you, nodding. "And in turn, make sure you take your medicine and come back to school." Suga waves at you, leaving first. Your eyes slowly look over to Tsukishima, his eyes downcast. "Don't get hurt by another volleyball Kei." You softly say to him, watching him raise his head up to look at you. 

"And don't cry over that jerk, Y/N." Tsukishima looks at you distantly before turning his back to you. Tsukishima quietly walks away and you have an urge to call out to him. "K-Kei!" Tsukishima stops, turning slightly to look at you from a side angle. "Thank you for comforting me last night." You nervously say aloud. Tsukishima turns his attention back forward. He answers you with a nod. 

You watch Tsukishima for a bit longer before closing the door behind you. You then hurry upstairs to work on your assignment again. You weren't going to let them down by shutting yourself inside the house.


	44. Panic Attack

A week has passed since the incident at school. The bruises on your face no longer horrifying you when you look in the mirror. The purple and blue bruises now a light green. You still weren't confident enough to show your face completely to the public so you hide yourself with a face mask and a hat. During your travel to Fukurōdani Academy the principle calls your parents. Dad parks the car while your mom is on the phone with the principle. "Good afternoon sir." Mom speaks cheerfully over the phone. You're unable to hear the principle but you can only assume he's calling to inform your parents about the punishment the girls are receiving. You lean forward from the backseat, trying to read your moms expressions.

Her smile disappears and her lips form a thin line. "You can't be serious, sir. Should I forward you the images of my daughter in the hospital?" Mom tries to keep her tone calm but you can sense her irritation. She exhales, rubbing her temples. "So you're telling me these girls are not going to face any kind of consequences?" A cold sensation runs down your spine. You can sum up the gist of the conversation from your moms words. "Well is there anything you **CAN** do to protect my daughter when she goes back to school next week?"

The car is silent with the faint murmuring of the principle on the phone. Whatever he's telling her is probably all bullshit. With your mood clouded, you tell your dad you'll wait outside of the car. The fresh air kisses your skin when you step out. You turn to look at Fukurōdani Academy. You didn't know much about this school or the volleyball team. During summer camp you mostly observed Nekoma High. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you try to not ponder on the current school situation. The only thing you can do when you go back is to keep your head low. But you know that's easier said than done. You raise your head up towards the sky, closing your eyes.

Your mom and dad exit the car a few seconds later. A hand rests on your shoulder and you flutter your eyes open to see your moms worried expression. "How'd the call go?" You ask curiously. Mom forces on a smile when she looks at you. "Let's just focus on supporting the boys today. We'll talk later tonight." Mom tugs you along towards the school entrance and dad joins the two of you. The three of you follow behind a crowd that files into the gym. You tense every time when someone walks up behind you. Your dad notices and pulls you closer to his side. "Where should we sit?" Your eyes roam the benches and you spot Yachi and Akiteru sitting in the front middle section.

"Right over there." You smile under your mask, pointing over to two blondes. The three of you make your way over to the two. "Yachi!" You call out to her, wrapping your arms around her back. Yachi squeals from surprise and turns her head to see you. Raising an eyebrow she widens her eyes. "Is that you Y/N? I can hardly tell with everything covering your face." Yachi turns around when you release your hold on her. You lower your mask and smile at her. Akiteru notices three new faces besides Yachi and smiles when his eyes land on you.

"Ah, Y/N it's been awhile." Akiteru flashes you a grin. You nod your head and then turn to look at your parents. The four of them trade introductions and make themselves comfortable on the bleachers. Yachi worriedly looks at you when the two of you sit down. "You had me worried sick when I found out you were staying home for a week." Yachi pinches your ear. Wincing from the pain, you pry Yachi's fingers off. "Sorry." You squeak out. 

"Will you be coming back next week?" Quietly you nod your head, your mind trails to the principles call to your parents earlier. Those girls never got punished for what they did to you. You are sure of it. "Well, none of us are letting you go anywhere by yourself from now on." Yachi sternly says that, glaring at you. You awkwardly giggle under your breath, "I hope I can at least go to the bathroom without assistance?" Yachi shakes her head no and you give in to her glare. Your eyes look across to the gym. You never texted Suga or Tsukishima that you would be here today. You planned to surprise them. 

"Looks like the team isn't here yet." You murmur beside Yachi. Yachi smiles beside you, pulling you towards the railing. "I'm sure they'll be super motivated when they see their assistant manager." You blush at the thought, not wanting to feel too full of yourself from Yachi's compliment. You doubt the team struggled without you around to observe them. They still had Kiyoko to look towards. While you're in your own thoughts, Fukurōdani's team starts to file into the gym. Your eyes flick over to a charismatic voice. 

"Now that's a wild looking player." Your dad chuckles towards the student with spiky white-grey hair. Your mom playfully slaps his arm. "Don't laugh at him honey." Closing your eyes, you try to recall any information you had on the team but you draw blanks. The only thing you know about this 'wild looking' player is that he's one of the top five aces in the country.

"Man look at that crowd you guys!" Bokuto shouts loudly, his eyes sparkling when he see's the gym completely packed. "Don't waste your energy shouting." A messy black haired student lowly speaks to Bokuto. "Oh come on Akaashi. Where's your energy?!" Bokuto's booming voice can be heard from your end. Akaashi sighs under his breath, shaking his head towards Bokuto. 

"Hey look. It's Coach Ukai!" Dad eyes the side entrance of the gym and there walks in the Karasuno volleyball team. A burst of excitement runs through your veins when you lean over a bit to see the players. "HINATA!!" Yachi cups her hands together and shouts at the top of her lungs. Her voice startles you, making you scrunch your shoulders together. Hinata instantly looks over in her direction, his smile turns into a wide grin. You watch Hinata cup his hands together to shout back at her. "I SEE YOU YACHI!!" The two blush over one another with goofy grins on their faces. 

"Stop showing off." Tanaka shoves Hinata. "YEAH MAN." Nishinoya also shoves Hinata, the two gloomy.

"Hey now, you two shouldn't bully Hinata just because he has a girlfriend and you don't." Daichi slaps the two on the back. Asahi tries to hold back his laughter but a few chuckles escapes his lips. "Idiots." Kageyama curtly says, walking past everyone. Behind you a group of girls shout Kageyama's name, your body instantly freezes up. Thoughts of girls overly obsessed with Kageyama starts to give you anxiety as you mentally hear the sound of your face being punched. Your body starts to tremble and you cover your ears with your hands. 

"Y/N?" Yachi nervously looks over to you, her small hands grip onto your shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? You don't look so good." Your mom notices your odd behavior and connects the dots when she stares at the Kageyama fan club behind you. She gets up from her seat and stands beside you. "Y/N, are you alright?" You turn to look at your mom, shaking your head. The amount of anxiety that's running through your body is unsettling and you don't know how to stop it. The sound of your heartbeat loudly thumps in your ear and sweat starts to form on your pale face. "She's probably having a panic attack." Your mom looks over at Yachi. "I'm going to take her outside for some fresh air." 

You feel your moms warmth when she pries your hands away from your ears. Gently, she pulls you along and the two of you step outside of the gym. Your mom carefully takes your face mask and hat off. "I'll take these off just for now, okay? I just want you to get cooled off." Your mom speaks softly to not stress you further. "Y/N!" A voice calls out your name. Your mom and you turn to look at one of the side entrances opening. 

"Kei." You weakly say his name, anxiety still wrapping around your body. Tsukishima knits his brows together when he walks over to you. "Are you alright?" 

"Something triggered a panic attack." Your mom answers for you. Tsukishima slowly nods his head, a frown forming on his face. "You came here today because of what I said didn't you? This is my fault." Tsukishima starts to grumble, running his fingers through his hair. Shaking your head you call out to him again. "Kei, I came here on my own to support the team." Tsukishima purses his lips together, brows still furrowed together. "You should focus on winning the game today." Your eyes look directly at him. 

"Tsukki, where'd you run off to?!" Yamaguchi and Suga both bolt out the same door Tsukishima came from. Yamaguchi turns his head to the left and spots the three of you. "Tsukki! The games about to start." Yamaguchi and Suga make their way over to you. "Y/L/N! You're here!" Yamaguchi beams brightly when he see's you. "Y-You three should go back in. Good luck today." You force a smile on your face. Yamaguchi nods his head, pulling Tsukishima by the arm. Tsukishima lowers his eyes from you and willingly gets pulled along by Yamaguchi. Suga forms a small smile when he see's you. 

"I'm glad you made it Y/L/N. Please support us today." Suga raises his hand to wave goodbye before running back in. When you see the door close behind them, your legs give out from underneath you. You squat down and exhale. Your mom squats down beside you and rubs your back. "Let's head back in when you're feeling better. There's no rush Y/N." You nod your head while you calm your sporadic emotions.


	45. Fukurōdani vs Karasuno

"What's wrong with Y/L/N?" Suga walks over to Tsukishima. The two heading over to the middle of the court to line up. "She randomly started having a panic attack." Tsukishima whispers to Suga. Worry clouds over Tsukishima's eyes when the team stands in front of the net. Suga hides his emotions from his face when the team bows to Fukurōdani's team. "That idiot should be worrying about herself but she tells us to focus on the game." Tsukishima closes his eyes, biting his lower lip frustrated. Suga grips onto Tsukishima's shoulder, catching Tsukishima's attention.

"The only thing we can do is win the game for her Tsukishima. Let's show her all the practice we've been doing in her absence." Tsukishima's mood lightens up, a smirk gracing his face. "You mean I'll be showing her. I doubt Coach Ukai will sub you in." Suga dramatically clenches his chest, wincing. "You don't have to be so cold to the person who's trying to cheer you up." The two trade off laughter before Suga runs over to the sidelines. A smile forms on Suga's face when he see's Tsukishima's focus return on his face. Flicking his eyes up to the bleachers, he scans the crowd. 

Y/L/N and her mom inch their way back to their seats. Seeing her calms the heavy weight in his chest. "We'll win this for you." Suga whispers.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Twenty minutes has gone by and the first set belongs to Karasuno. You watch intensely. Your hands clenching tightly to the cool metal bar of the railing. If Fukurōdani scores one more point it would be their win. Their fight only strengthened after losing the first set to Karasuno. "I never knew volleyball could be this intense." Your dad sits on the edge of his seat, clenching onto your moms hand. "That wild player is seriously wild too." Your mom adds in. Your eyes flick over to the spiky haired charismatic player. 

"Bokuto." You say his name silently. He's a serious threat if the others are not paying attention. Asahi can barely keep up if you compare the two. Akaashi takes in a deep breath before he throws the ball up. Your eyes widen when you notice him do a float jump. "W-What?! He changed up the way he's serving the ball!" Yachi screams beside you, her fingers clenching the top of her head. The players in front of you panic at the unexpected serve and a loud thump hits to the floor. The referee then blows on his whistle stating that the point belongs to Fukurōdani.

The opposite side screams with excitement while you hear groans on your side. 

"Looks like it's another third set game for Karasuno." Akiteru walks over to you, leaning over the railing. Your eyes look over to Tsukishima. His chest raising up and down heavily. Coach Ukai hasn't subbed him out yet and you noticed that Tsukishima is playing with more energy than the Nekoma game. "Kei is playing his heart out today." Akiteru grins when he stares at his younger brother. "I'm guessing you're the reason why." Akiteru turns to look at you with a gentle smile. "Oh? I figured that might be the case." Your mom nosily listens into the conversation and snickers. 

Feeling embarrassed you lower your hat more to hide your eyes. "I'm sure he just wants to win this game." You lie. 

Coach Ukai quickly forms a huddle before the break is over. "Looks like Fukurōdani are pulling a few tricks up their sleeves." Coach Ukai stares at each player, his fingers scratching his cheek. "What would you guys suggest? We have a few tricks up our sleeves as well." Hinata knits his brows together, crossing his arms. "They're most likely expecting Kageyama and I to do our special move so we can't depend on that too much on the last set." Suga clears his throat to get Coach Ukai's attention. "What is it Suga?"

Suga stares at Coach Ukai, nervously he opens his mouth. "C-Can I be subbed in? I'd like to try my trick move again." 

"Oh yeah! Nekoma High were all taken aback the last time we did that to them." Nishinoya bursts into laughter when he remembers that day. Coach Ukai slowly nods his head and grins. "That could work. I'm sure the news spread fast about your sneaky shot. Let's show them in person how amazing this move is." Suga smiles widely, clenching his hand into fists. "Yeah! I won't let you guys down." Tsukishima scoffs beside him. "You only suggested it to be on the court." 

Suga turns to look at Tsukishima, a devilish smirk on his face. "I can't just let Y/L/N watch you the entire time." Tsukishima is taken aback from Suga's response but he's unable to retort when Suga walks away. Tsukishima's chest aches slightly and a wave of worry washes over him. Knitting his brows together he glares at Suga's back. "Maybe I underestimated you Suga. You're not just a nice guy with a pretty face after all." Tsukishima clicks his tongue. His emotions starting to panic at the possible thought that Suga's emotions for Y/N is growing. 

"Hm? Kageyama isn't the setter for this match?" Yachi tilts her head to the side. You hear the girls behind you whine. "Why is Kageyama on the sidelines?! Isn't this the last game?" A girl questions the new line-up.

**Nishinoya, Hinata, Daichi, Tanaka, Tsukishima, and Suga.**

Your eyes sparkle when you see Suga walk towards the back. "Suga." You happily say with a smile. Akiteru notices your change in attitude. "Is he your favorite player to watch?" Stiffening, you nod your head. "I haven't had the chance to watch Suga play in any matches since Kageyama outshines him." You press your lips together, feeling a bit depressed saying that name. "Despite not being able to play a lot, Suga still works just as hard as the others." Your chest warms when you talk about Suga. Akiteru lowers his eyes to Suga, a smile growing on his face. "I wonder if he knows how sweetly you talk about him..." 

Your cheeks heat up when you hear Akiteru's comment. Suga easily serves the ball towards Fukurōdani. "Chance ball!" Akaashi shouts towards Bokuto who makes a menacing smirk. "I got this!" Bokuto shouts, jumping for the ball while his teammates back up to give him space. 

"No you don't." Tsukishima shouts out, jumping up to block the shot. Tsukishima successfully blocks Bokuto's attempt and smirks. "Shake it off Bokuto!" Konoha shouts behind him. Bokuto pierces a glare towards Tsukishima, clicking his tongue when he walks back to his position. The game continues like this for the next five minutes. Tsukishima constantly successfully blocks Bokuto's shots and you can see the irritation rising in Bokuto's face. Bokuto's performance starts to crumble and the other members are quickly trying to recover in his place. "Bokuto, get your shit together before you get subbed out." Akaashi slaps Bokuto in the back. A gloomy atmosphere hangs over Bokuto. Akaashi sighs under his breath, looking at his other teammates. Flashing them an eye signal that you're unsure what it is about.

"What was that?" You question. "I'm not too sure." Akiteru furrows his brows together. "There's secret signals in volleyball too?" Dad exhales in amazement. Yachi giggles next to you at your dads reaction. The atmosphere in the gym changes like a flick of a light switch. You notice the teammates in Fukurōdani are no longer depending on Bokuto. Each member is now shining brightly in their own way with shot after shot towards Karasuno. 

"What?!" Tanaka shouts out, jumping towards to save the volleyball to only miss it. "These guys are like monsters. They're evolving." Tanaka quickly gets up, glaring at the smirks on their faces. "Bokuto isn't the only valuable player on our team. We're just getting started Karasuno." Konoha taunts Tanaka from the net. The next few minutes are brutal with Fukurōdani taking the lead by two points.

"At this rate Karasuno is going to lose." Dad panics when he watches. Your mom tries to sooth him by rubbing his back. You grow anxious yourself when you notice how tired everyone is. You question why Coach Ukai hasn't subbed anyone out. Daichi shouts for a chance ball, his eyes zoning in on the ball. "TANAKA!" Daichi shouts, safely receiving the chance ball. "I GOT IT!" Tanaka jumps for the ball, tossing it towards Tsukishima. 

You're taken by surprise when Tsukishima is the one to dunk the ball over the net. Akiteru chuckles beside you when he hears the sweet sound of the ball slamming in Fukurōdani's side of the court. "Kei isn't just a middle blocker." Akiteru speaks proudly when he looks at his brother. Your breath is taken away by Tsukishima. The team shouts in happiness when they've gained a point after being brutality attacked. Tsukishima turns his head towards your direction, his eyes staring directly at you. 

"Looks like he's telling you to keep an eye on him." Akiteru chuckles. You grow flustered but you keep your eyes on Tsukishima. "One more point until they're match point with Fukurōdani" You say aloud, clasping your hands together as you mentally pray. "If they have anymore tricks, they're most likely going to pull them out now." Akiteru looks at the team with a smile. "They're such a wild card." You nod your head to Akiteru's statement. "It'll be a huge gamble..." You murmur. Suga serves the ball again but you notice him hand gesture something once the ball flies over the net. Your eyes widen. "His new move." 

"The one we saw during the Nekoma game?" Yachi stammers out. "So that's why Suga is subbed in for Kageyama." Akiteru grins, leaning over the railing. Suga keeps his eyes trained on the volleyball as it's being passed from one Fukurōdani teammate to the other. The final player touches the ball and returns the ball with a high shot. "Tsukishima!" Suga shouts out. Tsukishima successfully stops the ball from slamming to the ground in the center. Then in a flash the team performs a synchronized attack. 

"BOKUTO NOW'S THE TIME FOR YOU TO SHINE." Akaashi shouts from the front towards Bokuto who is sulking in the back. "IT'S THE MOVE." Suga winces when he hears Akaashi spot out their plan. But it's too late for them to backtrack. Tsukishima tosses the ball over to Suga who jumps up to make the shot. Suga instantly sees an opening and takes it but in a flash there stands Bokuto. A dark aura surrounds him and Suga trembles from the glare he's receiving from Bokuto. "Sorry." Bokuto says softly with a smug face. In slow motion Suga watches the volleyball bounce back behind him.

**_'THUMP'_ **

The sound of the whistle shrieks into the silent gymnasium. Then an uproar of cheers come from Fukurōdani's side. Your eyes waver at the sight and you forget how to breath. The sound of the volleyball hitting the court still rings in your ears. Everyone around you seems to have gone mute. Every member hangs their head low on the court until Coach Ukai calls out to them. 

"Don't sweat it! You guys gave it your all!" Coach Ukai claps his hands together to get their attention. "Keep your head up. Let's go thank everyone for coming out." You watch every member slowly walk over to stand in front of the bleachers. Their expressions break your heart when you think about how hard they fought on the court today. They raise their heads to look up towards you and the other attendees. Your vision goes blurry when you see the pained expression on Tsukishima and Suga. The two meet your gaze and tears slowly trickle down your face. They notice your tears and their faces only worsen. Bowing, they shout a thank you. Yachi is in tears now. 

"THEY DESERVED THAT WIN." The group of girls behind you hug one another, sobbing. Akiteru places a hand on your head to get your attention. "Let's go comfort them." Sniffling, you nod your head. Yachi, you, and your parents follow after Akiteru. As you exit the gym, your dad shields you from the flow of the crowd. The five of you wait outside a bit further away from the gym and you feel the comfort of your moms hand rubbing your back. 

"I don't think I can handle another game after this." Dad sighs under his breath. Akiteru chuckles next to him. "It does sting when the team you're cheering for loses." 

"That's why I don't watch sports." Dad chuckles. 

Just then the side entrance opens and you see Fukurōdani's team exit first. A crowd of cheers erupts for them. As they leave the gym a crowd follows after them leaving only a few people lingering around. Kiyoko is the first one to leave and Mr. Takeda follows after her with the water cooler. Their expressions are hard to read. You then see Kageyama step out, a group of familiar looking girls stand in front of him. Your mind starts to run through your memory, remembering a group of girls stopping him at Nekoma High. You feel as if you've knocked down a wall when you connect the dots of your weak memory. 

The girls surrounding him from Nekoma High and Fukurōdani Academy are the exact same girls who bullied you. You touch your face reflexively when you realize. You glare at the four. 

_Those bitches._

Your anger subsides when you see the other members exit. Yachi leaves your side, running over to Hinata. "Hinata!" Yachi cries out, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You worked hard today." She sobs by his ear. Hinata hides his face in the nook of Yachi's neck, biting his lip. "Y-Yeah...thanks for coming to support me Yachi." Hinata tries to hold his tears back. Tanaka and Nishinoya only get more upset at the two displaying their love to one another. 

"Let's go Nishinoya." Tanaka sniffles, placing his arm around Nishinoya's shoulders. You hesitate to go over there knowing that the group of girls are close by. You clench your hands into fists. Akiteru then shouts beside you. "Kei! Suga!" The two look over in your direction while Akiteru wildly waves his hand. The two split off from the team and make their way over to the four of you. Dad is the first one to speak up, his hand extending to Suga and Tsukishima's shoulders. "Don't beat yourselves up too much. I enjoyed every single moment of your match. This is only one loss over your many future wins." Dad squeezes their shoulders gently, smiling. 

"Thank you sir." Suga forms a small smile, bowing to him. Tsukishima doesn't say a word as he bows. "We'll let you kids talk. Can I ask you guys to walk Y/N back to our car for me?" Mom glances at Akiteru, Suga, and Tsukishima. The three nodding to her. Once your parents leave, you nervously look at Suga and Tsukishima's downcast faces. Your tears welling up the corner of your eyes. Akiteru notices your scrunched expression, a frown on his own face. "Hey." Akiteru softly speaks to the two. "You guys may have lost but you're growing as a player. Y/N and I noticed that." You quietly nod your head beside Akiteru, sniffling. "You'll get them next time. I believe in you both." 

Suga raises his head up to look at you, the frown on his face slowly curves up into a smile. "It's hard for me to believe you when you're crying." Tears litter down your cheeks and you frown. "I'm just frustrated that Bokuto decided to get serious last second and ruined your perfect shot." You quietly whine out. You turn to look at Tsukishima who's been quiet. "Even though Suga didn't successfully pull off his shot, you got to surprise them Kei." Tsukishima raises his head up to look at you, his eyes clouded. "But it wasn't enough to win the game for you Y/N." You hear the pain in Tsukishima's voice and it makes your heart sink. You've never seen or heard Tsukishima so sad before. 

The tears flood your cheeks and Suga starts to frown again. "Kei you're an idiot." You blurt out. Tsukishima stares at you in disbelief. "It's okay if you didn't win this game. Just win the next game for me then!" You shout through tears. You surprise yourself from your reaction. Seeing Tsukishima look so down made you angry. Lowering your head you then apologize. "Sorry, I shouldn't have blurted that out. Just...cheer up Kei. I came here to support you guys whether you won or not." Pressing your lips together you wipe your tears. "It felt nice to watch you two play again." You force a smile on your face when you look up at Tsukishima. 

Tsukishima is at a loss for words when he sees you force a smile at him. Pursing his lips together he averts his eyes down, his hand clenching into a fist. "I'll be sure to win the next match for you Y/N." Suga clears his throat. "We will." He shoots Tsukishima a look before walking up to you. Suga lowers himself to see your face, his calloused fingers wiping away your tears. "Now let's take you back to your parents before they get worried." Tsukishima grips onto Suga's wrist, the hand that's touching your face. You move your eyes up to Tsukishima who glares at Suga. 

"You're too touchy Suga. It's irritating me." Tsukishima spits out. Suga dryly chuckles under his breath, his other hand prying Tsukishima's fingers off his wrist. Akiteru notices the shift in the mood and calls out your name.

"Let me walk you back. Those two are..." Akiteru doesn't finish his sentence when he gently pats you on the shoulder to follow along. You leave Suga and Tsukishima to their quiet argument and follow beside Akiteru. Akiteru sensed the same shift of mood that you just did. 

_Something about Suga is different._


	46. Call him master

The sun slowly brightens up your dark room while you sit in front of your vanity. You slowly brush your hair. Your eyes distant when you recall the conversation your parents spoke in the car on your drive back from the Fukurōdani game.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

**Two days before.**

"Thank you for walking me back Akiteru." You bow slightly, a small smile on your face. "No problem. Get home safely." Akiteru raises a hand up to say goodbye before turning around, walking back towards the academy. Opening the car door, you slide into the leather seats. "Did you have a good talk with the boys?" Your mom asks when you click your seat belt. You shrug, pressing your lips together. "The atmosphere was a bit...tense." You answer her. Dad puts the car in reverse and backs out of the parking lot. Your parents talk about the volleyball game for a few minutes before you change the subject.

"So, what did the principle say?" Your eyes look out of the window, the busy street of Tokyo in front of you. Your mom clams up when she hears your monotone voice. You have a hunch that whatever the principal said was not good news. Mom clears her throat, her hand running through her hair. "Those girls got away with it." You barely hear her words from the loud honks of the cars around you. "It's also not written in their records that they bullied you." Your brows knit together and you force your eyes shut. 

"Apparently the captain of the girls volleyball team is a daughter of one of the schools sponsors." Mom angrily looks at the view in front of her. "Money is more important than justice so it seems." Dad notices your silence and looks at you from the rear view mirror. You lean back in the car seat, covering your eyes with your arm. "The principle promised to keep you safe by telling the teachers to keep an eye on you." Mom continues to speak. An exasperated sigh leaves your lips. "There's no way there will be a teacher every where I go." Mom nods her head to your words. 

"The school is failing on us." Dad grumbles out. The conversation trails off into silence as you get anxiety about returning in the next two days. Lowering your arm from your face, you look over to your dad. "Should I pick up judo classes?" You blurt out the idea. Your dad raises an eyebrow, looking at you from the rear view mirror. "I'd hate to rely on others so shouldn't I start learning how to protect myself?" Mom frowns at the thought. "It shouldn't have to be like this to begin with Y/N." 

Ruffling your hair, you sigh again. "I'm just afraid to go back..." Your voice trembles.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

**Present day.**

"Y/N!" Your mom calls out for you from the bottom of the staircase. "Someone's here for you!" Lowering the hairbrush onto the vanity table, you grab the backpack off your desk chair and hurry downstairs. There stands Yachi in the foyer, she greets you with a bright smile and a wave. "Morning Y/N!" She cheerfully says to you. The corner of your lips tug into a smile when you see Yachi. "Morning Yachi." You return her smile with one of yours. You say goodbye to your parents and follow Yachi out of the foyer. Once the two of you step out, you look over to her. "You didn't have to come by to walk me to school you know." 

Yachi scoffs under her breath, flicking your forehead. "I pass by your place every day anyway. So don't worry about it." A small smile etches on your face when you gently rub your forehead. Yachi notices your distant reaction and sneaks a look at you. "Are you wearing more makeup than usual?" Yachi questions. You stiffen from her observation. "My bruises aren't completely gone so I tried to cover it up with more full coverage foundation." Yachi nods her head, the two of you quietly walking towards a crosswalk. 

"A-Anyway, how was your weekend Yachi?" You try to change the topic away from you. Yachi grows eerily quiet beside you, her face flushing red. Raising an eyebrow you stop walking, grabbing Yachi's wrist to stop her. "What's with that shy reaction?" You cheekily say to her. Yachi shakes her head furiously, her face turns even redder. "Spill the beans!" You tug on her arm, the anticipation eating at you. "It has something to do with Hinata doesn't it?" Yachi squirms in your hand and nods her head. "Y-Yeah!" 

"Tell me then!" You whine out, releasing Yachi's wrist. Yachi places a hand over her chest, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Her eyes flick up to yours and she wears an innocent expression. "W-We're calling each other on a first name basis now." A smile forms on your lips and Yachi parts her lips again to say more. "We...also kissed." Yachi covers her face, screaming into her palms as she says those words aloud. With wide eyes, you feel your own face heat up from the news. "W-Wow! Yachi I'm so happy for you!" Your jaw drops slightly.

"Thank you!!" Yachi squeals, lowering her hands from her face. "I couldn't believe it. We were just hanging out at a park and as the sun was setting he turned to me and expressed how thankful he was to have me around." Your chest tingles from Yachi's words. Lowering your eyes you form a small smile. "Hearing those words is probably one of the best feelings in the world, right?" You whisper to Yachi. "Y-Yeah. I felt like my heart was going to burst from so many emotions." 

The two of you continue on your walk to school. As you near the entrance, you notice more eyes are trained on you. Anxiety crawls in your palm and Yachi notices the color in your face drop. "Y/N." Yachi softly calls out your name, intertwining her fingers with yours. You're pulled away from your dark thoughts and look over to Yachi. Her gentle smile comforting you. "Can you call me Hitoka too? I feel bad calling you by your first name while you're still calling me Yachi." Fluttering your eyelashes, you stare at Yachi. "H-Hitoka?" You whisper. Yachi smiles brightly and nods her head.

"Yeah! Now it's more natural." Yachi giggles beside you, pulling you past the stares of students. As the two of you walk towards the first year hallway, you notice several posters plastered on the walls. "Oh, that's right. We're going to have a summer festival next week. Us first years will be running food stalls." Yachi smiles beside you. You stop to look at one of the posters. Yachi follows your line of sight and stares at the same poster. "Looks like the third years will be running a butler and maid café." Yachi's eyes sparkles at the idea. Your mind wanders to the thought of Suga dressed up. The idea of Suga calling everyone a princess makes your face heat up. Your hands fly to your face and Yachi nervously looks at you.

"W-What's wrong Y/N?" Yachi stammers out. A hand rests on the top of your head and the familiar woody vanilla scent wafts towards you. "What are you doing Y/N?" Tsukishima calls out to you. Yachi looks nervous when Tsukishima appears in front of you two. Lowering your hands, you see Tsukishima. He notices your blushing cheeks. "N-Nothing." You blurt out, lowering your eyes from him. Tsukishima turns his attention over to the poster you were looking at. He scrunches his nose, brows knit together. "You're not going to that." Tsukishima spouts out. Yachi looks at Tsukishima bewildered. 

"Why can't she? It's part of the summer festival." Yachi innocently says aloud. Tsukishima presses his lips together in a fine line, his eyes focusing on you. "You were thinking of Suga weren't you?" Your lips part slightly. You're unable to reply back. Tsukishima grunts under his breath. "What's so entertaining about a guy dressed up and calling everyone princess." Tsukishima irritatingly spits out. Yachi tries to hold back her laughter from witnessing Tsukishima's childish reaction. Yamaguchi who is silently standing next to Tsukishima awkwardly chuckles. "Ah...Tsukki, you're acting a bit weird." 

Tsukishima ignores Yamaguchi, muttering to himself about something you couldn't really understand. "You can say the same thing about guys seeing maids while they're being called master." Yachi squeaks out towards Tsukishima. "That's just as weird. Why would you want to be called master?" Tsukishima shakes his head, ridding himself of the imagination. Yamaguchi shyly lowers his eyes, blushing. "I-I have to admit the girls look adorable in the uniform. Also hearing them call you master isn't too bad if it's coming from a girl you really like, right?" 

The three of you stare at Yamaguchi dumbfounded. 

"Have you been to a maid café before Yamaguchi?" You question him. "When did you find the time to do that?" Tsukishima throws another question out and you visibly see Yamaguchi shrink from the both of you pestering him. "Hey! You two can't judge me for what I do in my free time." Yamaguchi puffs out his cheeks. He glares at the two of you but his blushing cheeks ruins the intimidation. Yamaguchi turns his eyes to Tsukishima. "Especially you Tsukki. You'll understand the joy when you experience it." Tsukishima shakes his head no. "I'm not a weirdo like you Tadashi. I won't find any entertainment in going to a maid café."

"W-Weirdo?!" Yamaguchi cries out. Yachi covers her mouth to deafen her laughter. Yamaguchi glares at you and you stiffen. "Y/L/N, call Tsukki master just this once." 

"W-WHAT?!" You're now the one crying out. Tsukishima freezes in his spot, slowly he looks down at you. "Can you do it just this one time? I need to prove to Tsukki that I'm not weird." Yamaguchi clasps his hands together in prayer. "But asking me that is already weird Yamaguchi! Besides I'm not a maid at a café." You feel the heat in your ears rising, your voice wavering. "It won't hurt to just say it Y/N. It's just a word." You feel Yachi jab your side with her elbow. You turn your eyes to Yachi, brows furrowed together. "Not you too Yachi." 

"Hah! It's two against one now. You have to do it." Yamaguchi proudly puffs out his chest, hands on his sides. You feel your insides stir from the pressure. Your lips starting to dry when you look up to Tsukishima who's been silent the duration. "Why aren't you retorting Kei?" You murmur. Your voice pulls Tsukishima out from his thoughts and he clears his throat, crossing his arms. "I doubt this will affect me. Go on ahead and say it Y/N." You notice the slight waver in Tsukishima's voice. Your shoulders droop when you see Tsukishima is also in on it now. Pursing your lips together you force your eyes shut. 

_How did you get yourself in this situation?_

Mentally you tell yourself that this is just a word. You shouldn't stress out over such a small thing like this. But despite telling yourself this, you still feel nervous.

_The word 'master' just seems so..._

You exhale loudly under your breath, slowly opening your eyes to look up at Tsukishima. Biting your lower lip you feel your heart race. 

_It's just a word. It's just a word. It's just a word._

Tsukishima's golden brown eyes stares at you patiently. Clenching your hands open and close, you slowly part your lips. The sound of your heartbeat loudly thumps in your ear when you look into Tsukishima's eyes. You quietly whisper the word, "Master." Instantly Tsukishima and you cover your faces, both feeling embarrassed. Your face feels as if it's on fire and the tips of Tsukishima's ears are red. Yachi loudly laughs behind you and Yamaguchi also blushes. "T-That was so cute." Yamaguchi squeaks out. 

"God." Tsukishima groans out into his palm. He turns his back to you so you're unable to see his reaction. "I'm going to class." Tsukishima dashes away from the three of you before any of you can stop him. "I am too!" You blurt out, practically running to your homeroom. Yachi calls out after you, her legs running to catch up. You place a hand over your frenzied heart, your thoughts on Tsukishima. 

_Why did Tsukishima feel embarrassed when you were the one to say it?_

Tsukishima lowers his head when he walks into class. He quickly sits down at his seat by the window and covers his face with his arms on the desk. Closing his eyes, he sees Y/N's innocent blushing face. Her voice faintly replays in the back of his mind. Tsukishima blushes, fluttering his eyes open to see the desk. "Fuck, why is she so cute." Tsukishima whispers, his chest tightens from the thought of Y/N.


	47. You'll be a princess one day

"So how are festival plans for you first years?" Daichi looks towards you and the others. Daichi, Asahi, Suga, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Hinata, Yachi, and you sit in the courtyard with your lunches. Tanaka and Nishinoya went off to the vending machines to get a drink. "My class will be serving up shaved ice." Hinata answers happily. "Make sure you're not the one shaving the ice." Tsukishima mumbles under his breath, taking a bite of rice. Hinata whips his head towards Tsukishima and starts to bark at him. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!"

Yachi nervously giggles, patting Hinata on the back. "I'm sure Tsukishima is worried about you." Tsukishima scoffs, "No. I'm saying knowing Hinata, he'll make a fool of himself while he tries to shave the ice and the customers have to deal with his stupidness. They don't deserve that." Asahi quietly laughs, his mouth full of bread. "ASAHI!" Hinata whines out when he notices Asahi laughing. 

"What is your class doing Tsukishima?" Suga looks over at Tsukishima, lowering his chopsticks. Tsukishima ignores Suga purposely. Yamaguchi notices and speaks up in his stead. "We'll be in charge of the yakitori." Daichi starts to drool when he thinks about yakitori. "We have to squeeze in some time to swing by your stall."

"How about you two? What's your class doing Y/L/N, Yachi?" Asahi smiles when he looks at the two of you. You turn your attention to Yachi, you weren't sure yourself. "Choco banana's!" Yachi cheerfully answers. "Oh? I bet your stall will look extremely cute then." Suga says aloud, turning his eyes over to you with a smile. You shyly glance down to your bento box. "You guys are holding a café right?" Yamaguchi asks towards the three seniors. Daichi shyly scratches the back of his head. "Yeah...I'm not sure how we ended up with a café." 

"It was better than a haunted house." Asahi shivers just thinking about it. "All that really matters is for us to enjoy the day anyway." Suga speaks optimistically. Hinata chuckles when he looks at Suga. "I think you're the only one that's happy about the idea."

"What idea?" Tanaka loudly cuts through the conversation, a soda can in his hand. Nishinoya plops next to Asahi and Tanaka takes a seat by Nishinoya. "We were talking about the festival next week." You look over at Tanaka who takes a chug from his soda. "AH! I CAN'T WAIT!" Tanaka's eyes sparkles. "KIYOKO WILL BE IN A MAID OUTFIT!" You watch Tanaka dreamily fade into his imagination. Nishinoya eagerly nods his head. "I can already hear her soft cool toned voice calling us masters." Nishinoya hums in happiness. Tsukishima fidgets slightly from the word next to you. Your cheeks tinting pink from his reaction. 

"See, Tsukki! It's normal to like things like maid cafes." Yamaguchi turns his head to Tsukishima. "Ugh, you guys are just all weird. No way that's normal." Tsukishima says between clench teeth, his ears visibly red. "I might have to agree with Tsukishima on this one." Suga scratches the side of his face. "It sounds a bit..." You notice Suga's cheek turn a shade pink. 

"Master." Hinata blankly says it aloud. Tilting his head, he shrugs. "I don't see what's so exciting to hear someone say that to you."

"IDIOT IT HAS TO BE A GIRL WHO CALLS YOU THAT." Tanaka shouts at Hinata. Hinata winces and leans back slightly. "W-Why?! That's just you being sexist Tanaka." Hinata shouts back. "YACHI! Say it to Hinata, he'll understand it once he feels it." Nishinoya pours gas over the fire in the conversation. You turn your head to look at Yachi who's blushing from ear to ear. "W-Wait, I can't do that." Yachi raises her hands up and waves them frantically. Hinata turns to look at Yachi with a determined face. "Hit me with it Hitoka, I'll prove them wrong."

Yachi nervously looks at Hinata, her shoulders tense. "Yeah Yachi, it's your turn to say it. Weren't you pushing Y/N this morning to say it?" Tsukishima flashes a devilish smirk on his face. "W-Wait, what?" The conversation splits into two when Suga forms a baffled look towards you. "How'd that happen?" Asahi seems just as curious. Yamaguchi lowers his eyes from the conversation, face flushing red. "Hey, don't get distracted. We're focusing on Yachi right now." Tsukishima curtly says. 

"Do it Yachi!" Nishinoya hypes her up but she only feels more embarrassed when he cheers her on. Hinata slowly entangles his fingers with Yachi's to calm her nerves. You're more surprised by Hinata's gentleness towards Yachi. Hinata always seemed like a firecracker in your eyes but around Yachi he's more calm. "If you don't want to say it, you don't have to. They're just trying to get under our emotions." Hinata squeezes Yachi's hand. Yachi quietly looks into Hinata's eyes, biting her lower lip. "I-I know but...I did put Y/N on the spot this morning like this so it's only fair if I did it as well." Hinata nods his head, holding his smile on Yachi. 

The group grows quiet as all eyes are on Hinata and Yachi. Yachi squeezes her eyes shut, face bright as a tomato. "M-Master." Yachi squeaks out. The quietness in the group erupts into mixed emotions. A few groans and laughter. 

"GOD. THAT WAS TOO EMBARRASSING." Yachi shouts, hiding her face with her hands. Hinata looks indifferent, his hand scratching the back of his neck. "What about that makes you guys go crazy?" Hinata blankly says. 

"UGH. YOU JUST DON'T GET IT HINATA. YOU'RE TOO INNOCENT." Tanaka grumbles, crossing his arms. Nishinoya goes quiet when he turns around to laugh. Daichi holds his breath but you notice his shoulders shaking from the inner laughter. Asahi looks mentally drained from the event, his eyes distant. Suga lowers his eyes, pursing his lips from laughter. You turn to look at Tsukishima and to your surprise his eyes are on you. Raising an eyebrow you tilt your head. "Why are you staring at me Kei." You whisper. "It sounds cuter from you." Tsukishima murmurs. Your eyes widen when you look at him. "A-Are you sure you're not just as weird as the others?" You stammer those words out. Tsukishima averts his gaze from you and you're left feeling bothered by his words. 

"A-Anyway." Yamaguchi tries to steer the conversation. "You guys are going to dress up too, right?" Daichi nods his head. "Do you think any pretty girls will be seeing you?" Tanaka wiggles his eyebrows in excitement. "It's your perfect chance to win them over! Girls love handsome men who calls them princess. Isn't that right you two?" Nishinoya smirks when he looks at Yachi and you. Hinata spits out his food. "Hitoka is taken!" 

"That doesn't mean she doesn't like handsome men and to be called a princess." Tsukishima smugly says towards Hinata. "I mean...Tsukishima isn't wrong about that one." Asahi chuckles out. "Hey, don't mess with those two." Suga interjects. "Fine." Nishinoya turns his attention to you instead. "Y/L/N. You'll be excited to see handsome guys who call you princess, right?"

"Hey, don't mess with her either." Suga knits his brows together. Everyone's eyes are on you despite Suga's declaration to leave you alone. Your eyes nervously look over to Suga, a shy expression painting over your face. "I'm actually looking forward to it." Your cheeks turn a shade pink. Suga's startled by your answer and you hear Tanaka and Nishinoya cheerfully react to your answer. "Looks like we'll have to make sure we do our best that day to not let you down Y/L/N." Daichi smiles. Asahi covers his face with his palms. "Oh god, how can I just casually say that word to several girls in one day?! I'd feel like a player." 

"So you like to be called princess, huh?" Suga looks at you, a gentle smile on his face. Your heart skips when you look at Suga. "I'll keep that in mind." He whispers under his breath. Tsukishima moves his hand in front of you to stop you from looking at Suga. "Hey, stop being manipulated by Suga." You raise an eyebrow, looking at Tsukishima confused. "Manipulate? Suga isn't doing that." Suga chuckles at Tsukishima's jealous reaction. 

"If you want someone to call you princess, I'll start right now." Tsukishima lowers his hand down, he turns to look at you directly. The intensity in Tsukishima's eyes makes your chest tighten. The atmosphere suddenly turning tense when you stare at each other. Seconds go by with the two of you staring at one another. Tsukishima's intense stare starts to crumble and you notice his cheeks starting to redden. "Forget it." He scowls to himself, tearing his eyes away from you. 

"That was an intense staring contest." Nishinoya innocently says aloud. "Nice job winning Y/L/N!" Tanaka grins from ear to ear. You softly exhale under your breath, weakly thanking Tanaka even though you and Tsukishima weren't having a staring contest. "Should I call you princess, Hitoka? Would that make you happy?" Hinata curiously asks Yachi, the two in their own world. You turn your attention to them to distract yourself from the event just earlier. Yachi shyly looks at Hinata. "Y-You don't have to call me that every time. But can I hear you say it once?" Yachi blushes when she asks. Hinata nods, grinning at her. "If it'll make you happy." Hinata takes hold of both of Yachi's hands, giving them a slight squeeze. "Thank you for being mine, princess." Hinata's delicate voice fills Yachi's ears and she lets out a little squeal. She's too happy to form any words.

You blush from watching the two, feeling a bit lonely. Tanaka and Nishinoya slowly get up. "Alright, I'm out of here. That hurt me too much." Tanaka dramatically sniffles. "Let's go find Kiyoko, Tanaka." Nishinoya pats Tanaka on the back and the two are off. You sigh under your breath, tucking a hair behind your ear. "I feel a little hurt too." You nonchalantly say aloud. 

"Y-You too Y/L/N?!" Yamaguchi is surprised from your honest thoughts. "It's only natural for a girl to envy other cute couples after a rough break up." You softly say, feeling your heart hurt. "Ah, sorry!" Hinata apologizes to you but you shake your head. "I'm just being a little depressed. Don't be sorry for being happy Hinata." You force a smile on your face. Daichi notices the delicate aura around you and suggests for the group to get ready to go back to class. 

You lower your eyes, forcing old memories out of your mind while you place the lid over your bento box. "Y/N." Tsukishima's soft voice calls out to you. You raise your head up to look at him. The usual piercing eyes you've grown accustom to are gentle on Tsukishima's face. "Someone will call you their princess one day." Tsukishima speaks in a soft delicate tone that pulls at your heart strings. You find yourself tearing up from his words. "Y-Yeah." Your words are shaky while you wipe your tears away with your fingers. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying." Quickly apologizing you stand up and excuse yourself. Tsukishima turns to look at your back, his eyes clouding over. 

"Where'd Y/L/N run off to?" Yamaguchi notices your absence. 

"I wish it was me." Tsukishima mumbles under his breath. Suga quietly observes Tsukishima. 

"What was that?" Yamaguchi tilts his head to the side at Tsukishima.

"Nothing." Tsukishima bitterly replies. 


	48. The start of the summer festival

"Y/L/N can you help us take these boxes over to the stall?" One of your classmates call you for assistance. Nodding your head you grab a few boxes that contains wooden sticks for the many chocolate banana's the class will be making today. Yachi is pulled away to help set up the stall while you're on duty to grab the necessary items for the making of the chocolate banana's. Luckily the two of you are on the morning shift of the festival so you're free to enjoy the rest of the day. Walking your way down to the rows of stalls outside, you see Tsukishima blankly staring at the fire under the grill. You decide to take a detour to say hi to him.

"Kei." You call out to him. His eyes flick up and he sees you walk towards him with two boxes. Tsukishima leaves his post and grabs the boxes from you. Raising your eyebrows, you try to grab the boxes back. "W-Wait give those back. I just came over to say hi to you." Tsukishima moves the boxes away from you. "You're taking these to your stall, right?" Tsukishima asks, his legs already walking towards that direction. With a huff under your breath you follow beside him. "Are you on the morning shift too?" You ask Tsukishima.

"I'm stuck on the morning and afternoon. A classmate suddenly got sick." Tsukishima groans, his brows twitch in irritation. "Tadashi had to open his fat mouth and volunteered the both of us to help longer." You giggle beside him, breaking Tsukishima from his irritation. "What's so funny?"

"I can totally see Yamaguchi doing that." You smile at him. "But you're a good friend for not bailing out on him." Tsukishima purses his lips when you compliment him. He averts his eyes away from you. The two of you stop at your stall where Yachi is helping the others set up. "Should I just put this here?" Tsukishima looks at an empty table. Nodding your head you take the boxes from him. "I'll take it from here." Your fingers brush against one another and you try to not look surprised.

"I'm guessing you'll be free after this morning?" Tsukishima asks you, he watches you place the boxes underneath the table. Standing up, you nod at him. "Hitoka and I will be free around noon. I'll make sure to swing by to see you." A smile forms on your face when you stare at Tsukishima's face. "You better." Tsukishima curtly says before walking back to his stall. You watch Tsukishima leave and then busy yourself with preparing the banana's for your classmates.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"May I have one with sprinkles please?" A small boy asks you with sparkling eyes, his money in his hand. "Of course." You smile at him, reaching over for a sprinkled chocolate banana. "Here you go~" Taking the money from the boy, you hand him his treat. The mom thanks you before the two leave the stall. You've been busy handling customers since the festival opened this morning at 8. Yachi taps you on your shoulder to get your attention. "Hey, our shift is up. Let's go get changed and walk around." Yachi says while she takes her plastic gloves off, tossing it in the trash.

The two of you walk back into the school, grabbing your yukata out of the locker. After changing into the yukata, Yachi helps you tie the ribbon on your back. "Thank you Hitoka" You smile at her when she walks next to you. "It's no problem. Where should we hit up first?" Yachi wraps her arms around yours and the two of you exit the school building. "Do you want to see Hinata?" You turn to look at Yachi. She presses her lips together, a shy expression on her face. "If it's okay with you. I don't want to rub our relationship in your face all the time." 

You give her a slight nudge in her side. "It's fine with me. Shaved ice sounds good right about now anyway." Yachi beams at your response and the two of you make your way over to the busy crowds. Yachi pulls you closer to her to protect you. "Wow, the line's pretty long." Yachi gasps when she spots the long line for shaved ice. "Looks like we're not the only ones who are craving something cold and sweet." Your eyes gaze at the line in front of you. You pull Yachi to the back of the line. "Luckily we are in no rush so let's just wait." 

The two of you talk about the other stalls you're interested in and after about a twenty minute wait, the two of you are in front of Hinata's stall. "Welcome, how may I he-" Hinata's booming voice greets the two of you. He turns around to see you both smiling at him. "HITOKA. Y/L/N!" Hinata grins from ear to ear. "WOW. Your yukata's looks beautiful!" Hinata beams when he sees Yachi in her yukata. She blushes from his words and a small smile forms on your face from the exchange. "Can we get two strawberry shaved ice please?" Yachi sweetly asks Hinata. He nods his head, still eyeing Yachi. 

"Y-Yeah, just wait here." Hinata clumsily turns around and shouts to the others your order. You lean over to Yachi's ear. "I think you're making him flustered by how adorable you look." You tease. Yachi whines at you, slapping your shoulder. "S-Stop it. He's not." Hinata turns around with two cups of strawberry shaved ice. His cheeks burning red. "Here you go." Hinata stammers out. Yachi and you grab the shaved ice from him. The two of you then raise your money towards him but he shakes his head. "These are on the house for you two." Hinata grins. "Friends and girlfriends are for free." 

"A-Are you sure?" You raise an eyebrow. Hinata nods his head and flashes a thumbs up. "You won't be in trouble Shōyō?" Yachi questions him, worried that Hinata will be caught doing this. "Nope, because I'm off now!" He grins, tossing his apron off of him and running out from the back of the stall to join you two. "Where are you two heading next?" You take a bite of the shaved ice, walking with the other two. "Y/N wants to stop by Tsukishima's stall." Yachi answers Hinata, taking a bite of her shaved ice.

"Oh yeah! I'm craving some yakitori too. The smell kept drifting over by our stall and my stomach made such loud noises." Hinata awkwardly chuckles, scratching the side of his face. Yachi giggles at him, a look of adoration in her eyes. Luckily the afternoon crowd rush is slowing down after your wait in the line for shaved ice. You spot Yamaguchi taking care of their last customer in line. You quickly walk over before someone else gets in line. "Yamaguchi." You call out to him and he raises his eyes away from counting the cash. 

"Oh wow, I didn't expect to see you in a yukata Y/L/N." Yamaguchi stares at you with sparkling eyes. He turns around to call for Tsukishima who's keeping the fire going for the grills. Kageyama is also in the back preparing the skewers. "Tsukki, Y/L/N is here~" Tsukishima steps away from the grill and walks over to the front of the stall. His eyes widen briefly when he sees you. You raise a hand to wave at him, a smile on your face. Tsukishima silently stares at you. "Uh, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi tilts his head, turning to look at Tsukishima. 

"Hey, we're here too!" Hinata shouts out, a pout on his face. "Can I order ten sticks Yamaguchi?" Hinata walks over next to you to hand Yamaguchi the change for his food. You step aside, turning your attention back to Tsukishima. "Has it been busy?" You initiate the conversation. Tsukishima nods his head, his eyes shyly averting yours. "Who knew so many people would be hungry for yakitori." 

"Hey, get your ass back over here. Hinata's fat ass ordered ten of them." Kageyama barks at Tsukishima from the back. You watch Tsukishima furrow his brows, sighing under his breath. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere Y/N." Tsukishima turns around to go back to the grill, his eyes glare at Kageyama. "You know you can watch over the grill too." Kageyama doesn't say anything to Tsukishima, his eyes flicking over to you briefly. You pretend to ignore him, turning your eyes down to your shaved ice. Yamaguchi fills in the wait time with conversation to the three of you. 

"Here you go Hinata." Tsukishima hands Hinata ten chicken skewers on a plate. Hinata drools when he see's the piping hot plate. "Should we sit somewhere and share these?" Hinata looks at Yachi and you. "You two can enjoy the yakitori together." You push the two away. "Enjoy the festival as a couple." Yachi bites her lower lip and looks at you with guilt. "But, you'll be alone then Y/N." 

"I'll be fine today. There's a lot of adults around if anything happens to me." You reassure her. Yachi lingers a bit before giving in. "Call me if you need anything!" Yachi waves bye to you and the two disappear into the crowd. "Y/N." Tsukishima calls out to you, a skewer extended towards you. You eye the skewer and take it from him. "How much is it?" You ask Tsukishima. 

"Don't worry about it." Tsukishima says, waiting for you to take a bite. "Just eat it." 

"Ah, okay." You nervously blow on the chicken skewer before taking a bite. A smile forms on your face as you chew the chicken. The charcoal from the grill gives it a special flavor. "It's delicious." You softly say to Tsukishima. Tsukishima tries to hide the anticipating look on his face from you when you look up to him. "Thank you Kei for making this one for me." You call out to him. Tsukishima nods his head. Yamaguchi smiles from the entire scene before him a chuckle escaping his lips. "What are you planning to do for the rest of the day Y/L/N?" Yamaguchi asks you. 

Finishing off the skewer you place the stick in the trash can. "I haven't seen the third years café yet and the second years haunted house." Tsukishima turns around when he hears you mention the third years. "Hey, you're not going to that butler café." 

"You can't stop me Kei. You're stuck with the afternoon shift." 

"Stop you from what?" A voice calls out from behind you. You turn to see Daichi in a white dress shirt, a black vest, and black dress pants. You're taken aback from Daichi's getup. "Oh wow, you look really cool Daichi!" Yamaguchi stares at Daichi's outfit in amazement. "Are you here on break?" Daichi nods his head, sighing under his breath. He loosens his tie slightly. "There's so many customers. I sneaked out without anyone noticing." Daichi turns his eyes towards you and Tsukishima. "Let me take a guess here and say Tsukishima isn't letting Y/L/N go see the butler café?" Daichi eyes Tsukishima who scrunches his face together. Daichi's hit the nail on the head.

"I just don't want her to go there alone." Tsukishima bluntly says under his breath. "You can't follow her in there either Tsukishima. It's for girls only." Daichi chuckles, he places an order in for four skewers. "If it makes you feel better, I'll make sure no one serves Y/L/N other than me, Asahi, or Suga." Tsukishima scowls when he hears Suga's name. "Anyone but Suga." Tsukishima curtly says before turning around to make Daichi his skewers. 

"I can't promise him that..." Daichi says with a smile, chuckling dryly. "Your yukata looks lovely on you Y/L/N. It's nice to see people wear them during events like this." Daichi looks at you with warm eyes. You thank him and compliment him on his outfit too. "You look pretty cool yourself, Daichi." Daichi grows shy from your compliment. "Thank you." He chuckles. Tsukishima returns with Daichi's order and Daichi thanks him. "If it's alright with you, I'll be taking Y/L/N away now." Daichi waves to Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. 

Tsukishima purses his lips together, calling out to you. You turn around to look at Tsukishima. "Don't have too much fun." Tsukishima grumbles under his breath. A smile etches on your face and you decide to tease him. "No promises." You stick your tongue out playfully to which Tsukishima widens his eyes, his heart wavering while also feeling irritation. You then stare at the melting shaved ice in your hand, walking over you place the dessert into Tsukishima's hand. "Make sure you take a break Kei. I'll be going now." You quickly say bye to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, returning to Daichi's side. 

The two of you casually talk on your walk towards the third year wing. Excitement and nervousness fills your body as you wonder how the others look in their butler attire. 


	49. Welcome home, princess

Daichi finishes off his skewers before opening the red curtains in front of you. You carefully take a step in and you notice several tables full of girls and a butler attending to each table. "You weren't lying about it being busy." You say towards Daichi who stands next to you. You hear Asahi's voice across from you. "Is the cake to your liking, princess?" Asahi says through a nervous smile. You giggle at the sight and Daichi hangs his head down. "I should probably tell Asahi to take a break. Will you wait here Y/L/N? I'll get a table ready for you." Daichi flashes you a smile before heading over to Asahi to relieve him of his shift. 

"Welcome home, princess." A voice softly calls out to you. Your face heats up from the familiar gentle tone. Suga walks over to you, bowing. He wears a white dress shirt, black tail coat paired with black dress pants, matching dress shoes, and a tie. "S-Suga." You whisper his name. Suga flashes you a gentle smile. "I've been waiting for you." Suga whispers, winking at you. "I'll take you to your seat." Your heart clenches from Suga's words. You're unsure if he's role-playing or not.

Nodding your head, you follow Suga to a table sitting by the window where you can see the outdoor festivities. Suga pulls the seat out for you and you thank him before sitting down. "I'll be right back with the menu, princess." Suga excuses himself from you and you feel the color in your face drain. "I don't think I can handle this." You cover your face with your hands, feeling the heat in your cheeks emanating. You're not even the one role-playing as a butler. Suga returns with the menu and notices your hidden face. Carefully he puts the menu on the table and calls out to you. "Is something the matter?" 

You stiffen from Suga's voice, lowering your hands. Suga notices your blushing face, his heart skips. "N-Nothing at all." You lie, your eyes noticing the menu on the table. Picking the menu up, you distract yourself momentarily. However, you can't seem to think properly with Suga staring at you. Looking up to Suga you nervously ask him for recommendations. "What would you recommend Suga?" Suga smiles when your eyes meet his. "Hmm...for a sweet princess like you I'd recommend the flan dessert plate."

You blush furiously from hearing Suga call you princess again. Your hands clench onto the menu while your heart hammers away. "Okay, that sounds fine." Your voice barely audible. Extending your hand, you hand Suga the menu back. He bows again before leaving. Feeling Suga's presence gone you exhale deeply. You turn your attention towards the classroom windows and stare below at the stalls. You wonder how the others are doing. Suga quickly returns back with your dessert. "Here's your dessert, princess." He gently places the dessert in front of you. You noticed the hand drawn whip cream hearts on the plate and an adorable teddy bear on the top of your flan.

"Did you draw this yourself?" You turn to look at Suga. His cheeks a tinge pink. "I did." Suga shyly answers you. Your chest feels warm and you feel giddy from the small gesture. "It's too cute to eat." You whisper. Suga overhears you and picks up the spoon beside you, carefully he slices through the flan and raises the spoon to your lips. 

_Is this part of Suga's job too?_

You stare at the spoon in front of you. "I-I can feed myself Suga." 

"Let me do it this once." Suga whispers to you. Your eyes meet his and you're startled by his gentle expression. Suga looks more charming than usual with his outfit. "Say ah~" Suga changes his voice to a more high pitch tone. Nervously you play along with him, opening your mouth. Suga gently spoon feeds you the flan before taking the spoon away from you. "That's a good girl." Extending his hand, he gently strokes your hair. Hearing him makes you flustered and you start to cough abruptly. Suga quickly hands you a glass of juice to which you hurriedly swallow.

"S-Suga you're having too much fun." You blurt out, face red. Suga covers his mouth with his hand and chuckles, his shoulder shaking from all of his laughter. "Sorry, your reactions is just too cute." Suga breaks character as he tries to calm down. You pout, taking another bite of the flan. "Were you like this with the other girls?" You mumble under your breath, feeling embarrassed. "Only with you Y/L/N." Suga's soft voice fills your ears. "I purposely busied myself by making the food for the other guys to serve." Suga squats down beside you so you're on the same eye level.

"I was waiting for my princess to arrive." Suga looks you directly in your eyes, his voice soft and tender when he speaks to you. Your breath hitches and your heart picks back up again. You're entranced by Suga's hazel eyes and his adorable mole under his left eye. Averting your eyes, you bite your bottom lip. "Are you messing with me again?" Suga looks conflicted on how he should answer your question. Pursing his lips he decides to play it off as role-playing. "I guess I should stop teasing you. I wouldn't want an angry princess." Suga chuckles under his breath, standing up. 

With a huff under your chest you finish off your dessert. Turning your attention to Suga, you hand him the payment for your dessert. Suga shakes his head, gently pushing the money back to you. "May I ask you to pay in another form?" Suga curiously asks you. Raising an eyebrow you grow confused. "Another form?" Suga nods his head, "I'd like you to spend time with me for the remainder of the festival." You giggle under your breath. "You didn't have to ask me in this kind of way. I would've gladly said yes to you if you asked me normally." 

Suga scratches the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed. "Oh? I was afraid Tsukishima asked you first." You shake your head, looking up at Suga. "I'm all yours for the day." Suga is the one to blush now. He lowers his eyes and quickly excuses himself. "I'll hurry go clean this plate and we can head out." You watch Suga quickly walk away from your table and you recollect yourself. Gently slapping your face to rid your nervousness from earlier. Your mind recalls to Suga saying he was waiting for you, his princess. 

Squeezing your eyes closed you feel the heat rise in your face again. Even though he said it while in character, you couldn't help but feel your heart sway. You wonder how Suga felt when he said those words to you. "Ready to go Y/L/N?" Suga returns to your table and you nod your head, scooting out of the chair and standing up. Suga takes a closer look at you and slowly examines every little detail of the yukata on your body. "You look beautiful Y/L/N." Suga's words slip away from him as he's admiring your look. You widen your eyes from his words. "T-Thank you." Your fingers tuck a few stray hairs behind your ear. Suga grins and the two of you exit the classroom. 

"Is there anywhere you want to go?" Suga turns to look over at you. "I haven't been over to the second year wing yet." 

"Okay, let's head on over there." Suga grins at you, he extends a hand to you and you stare at it. "It's getting more crowded and I don't want to lose you." You flutter your eyelashes, the butterflies in your stomach fluttering. Nervously, you place your hand in Suga's large ones. A small smile graces his face and he gives your hand a gentle squeeze. "Alright, let's go see what Tanaka and Nishinoya are up to." Suga gently pulls you close to him. A feeling of fear creeps over you when you notice how excited and happy you are getting by being next to Suga. 


	50. I said, I like you.

Suga leads the way towards the second year hallway. You notice several students dressed up in different costumes and you wonder what they're holding here. "It looks like they had a hard time deciding between a haunted house and a secret maze?" Suga raises an eyebrow when he looks at a poster plastered on the wall. "Isn't a haunted house a maze anyway?" You look curiously at the poster. A bubble caption states that there's a beautiful surprise at the end. "Did you want to check it out?" Suga looks over to you, a small smile on his face.

Nibbling your lower lip you stare at the ghosts on the poster. Suga notices your worry and gently squeezes your hand. "There's nothing to be afraid of Y/L/N. If something pops out at you I'll be sure to yell at them." Suga reassures you with a smile. "You better." You murmur under your breath. The two of you make your way over to the line for the maze. "Do you think Tanaka and Nishinoya are inside?" You look around the hallway and only spot festival attendees. The two students up front are unrecognizable to you. A loud scream comes from behind the black curtains. You tense from the sound, absentmindedly squeezing onto Suga's hand. 

Suga is startled from your squeeze and the two of you hear an obnoxious laughter. "That sounds like Nishinoya..." You whisper to Suga. The two of you are next to enter inside. "Looks like those two will be the ones scaring us." Suga chuckles at the thought. Your fear of going inside disappears when you know it's two goofballs inside. "You two are up. Enjoy the maze!" The female student dressed as a witch cheerfully says to the two of you. Suga gently pulls you after him and you feel your heart skip from the simple gesture. 

As soon as the two of you step inside past the black curtains, darkness consumes you. "I-It's really dark in here." Your voice trembles when you slowly inch forward. "It really is. How are we suppose to get through this maze?" Suga tries to adjust his eyes to the darkness, he slowly inches forward and extends his other hand out to navigate a wall. A hand grabs onto Suga's extended one and he yelps beside you. "WHO TOUCHED ME." Suga nervously shouts and you feel his hand start to sweat. You giggle under your breath. The sweet sound of your giggle comforts Suga. 

"My hero." You sarcastically say into the darkness. Suga's face flushes from your comment and he mentally thanks the darkness. "Someone really touched me though Y/L/N." Suga nervously stammers out. 

"I believe you." You calm your laughter and the two of you continue to blindly walk in the darkness. Goosebumps run down your spine when you feel somebody behind you. The person blows on the back of your neck and you scream. Your hand lets go of Suga. Suga turns around to look at you squatting on the floor with your face covered with your hands. "I swear if that's you Tanaka I'm going to hurt you!" You scream out into the void. Suga tries to hurry to your side but someone pulls him away from you. "H-HEY!" Suga seems startled when someone yanks him to the side. You turn around and notice Suga disappeared. 

"S-Suga?!" You quickly get up to your feet and dart your eyes around in the dark maze. "Hey, this isn't funny anymore!" You weakly yell out. Fear overwhelms you as you decide to walk forward. You didn't care what was at the end of the maze anymore. You'll just take the posters word that the ending is beautiful. You try to look for an exit where the students come and go through. "Y/L/N!" You hear Suga's voice nearby. "Suga? Where are you?" You call out to him. 

"I'm not exactly sure..." Suga looks around him. The person who grabbed him pulled him to an open area of the maze and told him to stay there. "Try to follow my voice! I'll keep talking." 

"O-Okay." You strain your ears to hear Suga. "Sorry for pulling you in here Y/L/N. I didn't think we'd get separated." Suga speaks out. You slowly make your way through the maze. "It's okay, you didn't know this would happen." You answer him. "I know...but. I couldn't even protect you like I said I would." Suga frowns to himself, his fingers running through his hair. You no longer feel the stuffiness of the maze when you reach an opening. Through the darkness you notice Suga standing in the middle of the maze. "Suga!" A smile forms on your face when you see him. You run over to his side.

"You found me." Suga's low tone fills your ears and your cheeks start to heat up when Suga intertwines his hands with yours. A sound of a click rings in the silence and twinkling lights flick on above the both of you. A projector shines stars in the small area. Warm yellow lights replaces the darkness from earlier. Your eyes sparkle and you're amazed at how beautiful everything is. Suga keeps his eyes on you, staring at your breath taking reaction. "Wow...it really is a beautiful surprise." You whisper, returning your gaze to Suga. "Yeah." Suga softly says to you, his eyes sparkling from the lights. You feel your chest tighten from Suga's gaze on you. The expression he's making is as if he's staring at something so important.

Tanaka and Nishinoya lift open one side of the curtain behind the two of you. "We hope you enjoyed the maze~" Tanaka sings off key towards the two of you. Suga and you both let go of each other, brows furrowed towards Tanaka and Nishinoya. The two notice the anger in your face and quickly excuse themselves. "Come back here!" You run through the curtain and grab onto Nishinoya's shirt. "Shit, how are you so quick?" Nishinoya looks at you in surprise. Tanaka sneakily went back into the maze leaving Nishinoya behind. Suga hurries after you. 

"Were you the one who breathed on my neck?" You grumble at Nishinoya. He averts his eyes from you, whistling. "I don't know what you're talking about." Nishinoya is obviously lying to you. Sighing under your breath, you let go of him. "I'll remember this Nishinoya." Nishinoya quickly dashes away from you with a cheeky smile. Suga places a hand on your shoulder to get your attention. "Let's go get something to drink to calm you down." Nodding your head you walk ahead with a pout on your face. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After spending some time eating and drinking from the food stalls, the two of you look up at the sky. "It's already getting dark out." Suga whispers beside you. The paper lanterns on the stalls slowly flicker on around you. You nod your head, staring at the blue to purple sky. "I wonder how the others are." You mumble. "I'm sure they're also enjoying themselves." Suga smiles beside you. "Should we look for a quiet spot to watch the fireworks together?" You stiffen from Suga's question. 

_The two of you are going to watch the fireworks alone?_

"Did you not want to watch it with Daichi and the others?" You look up to Suga who shakes his head. "I've watched the summer festival fireworks with those guys several times before." Suga carefully places his hand on the top of your head. "I'd like to watch them with you if it's alright with you Y/L/N." Your eyes waver when you look at Suga's smile that forms on his face. 

_How could you say no to him?_

Shyly you look down, nodding your head. Suga quietly chuckles at your shy behavior. "I know the perfect spot. Let's go." Suga extends his hand to you and you carefully place your hand in his large palm. You feel the heat in your cheeks rise again. It seems like all you've been doing today is blush and get flustered over everything Suga does. You turn your attention ahead and notice where Suga is leading you. Suga smiles when he sees your reaction. The two of you carefully maneuver yourselves through the crowd. Slowly, the two of you walk up the hill past the track field. A few others are also nearby with the same idea as Suga. 

The two of you take a seat and the summer night breeze kisses your skin. 

"It's been awhile since I've been here." You whisper towards Suga. A faint sad tingling pulls at your heart strings. He notices the frown on your face. "Hey, there's no frowning today." Suga tries to cheer you up, his hand gently squeezes your small one. You forgot that Suga is still holding your hand when you feel his warmth. Lowering your head to him you apologize. "Just enjoy what is front of you right now Y/L/N." Suga lifts your chin up with his free hand. His gentle eyes rid you of the sadness that tried to creep up. "Right." You whisper, a faint smile on your face. 

Suga releases his hold on your hand and relaxes beside you. The two of you silently watch the others in front of you. A peaceful calm surrounds you. 

Suga feels a bit antsy when he sits beside Y/L/N. The entire day his heart feels like it wants to jump out of his chest. He's grateful that he is the one to spend the day with Y/L/N. Deep down he was worried Tsukishima would've interfered. Suga closes his eyes feeling the breeze flow through his hair. His exterior is calm but his insides are in chaos. These past few weeks have been a roller coaster on his emotions. The thoughts of the future weighs heavily on his mind. But something else weighed him down more. Suga slowly opens his eyes and sneaks a glance at Y/L/N. Seeing her makes his heart flutter. The way the moon light shines on Y/L/N's face takes his breath away. 

The irritation Suga feels when Tsukishima was around her would come and go. The conflicted feeling when Kageyama is brought up around Y/L/N made Suga upset. But nothing bothered him the most than the day Y/L/N laid in the hospital bed. That day Suga felt completely useless. He couldn't protect her that day and there was nothing physically possible that he could do to take Y/L/N's pain away. Sporadic thoughts of Y/L/N being hurt ate his soul away. At the same time, that was also the moment that awoken his heart. 

Everything that Suga is feeling makes him afraid. He is afraid to love again. 

_What if this becomes another one sided love?_

Tsukishima's words echo in his mind. The words where Suga wouldn't be there for Y/L/N after he graduates. He wouldn't easily be by her side like he is now. But something deep inside his mind tells him to ignore all of that. Suga would do anything he possibly could to be at Y/L/N's side. 

_Because..._

"Y/L/N." Suga calls out to you. You notice the softness to Suga's tone. Turning your head you look at him. A serious gaze reflects at you. Suga bites his lower lip, his actions seem a bit stiff when you patiently stare at him. Suga squeezes his eyes, inhaling deeply. You start to grow nervous and confused. Just then Suga opens his eyes and says something you couldn't hear because of the loud fireworks that color the night sky. Each firework blasting loudly.

"W-What did you just say Suga?" You speak loudly. Suga with a flushed face scoots closer to you. His large hands gently cups your face and he leans his face closer to yours. Your noses barely an inch apart.

"I said I like you Y/N." Suga's sweet voice fills your ears and your eyes widen in disbelief. You no longer focus on the fireworks exploding beside you. Suga then softly presses his lips against yours and your mind starts to cloud over.

**Suga likes you.**

Your eyelids close on their own and you find yourself returning his kiss. Your lips trembling from how nervous you are. You then feel Suga's hand stiffen on your face when he feels your lips kiss him back. 

From afar stands Tsukishima, the color in his face drains when he spots Y/N and Suga. Scrunching his face together, his hand turns into fists. Tsukishima is overwhelmed with frustration and sadness. The corner of his eyes tearing up. His heart seeming to feel like it's shattered in a million pieces. "Idiot. I told you to not have too much fun." Tsukishima strains to say those words under his breath while he looks at Y/N from a distance. 


	51. Why couldn't it be me?

Slowly Suga pulls away, his hands running through his light grey hair while he nervously looks elsewhere. "It's getting late...I should walk you home." Suga quickly stands up to hide his blushing face from you. In a daze, you slowly get up and follow after Suga.

"Tsukki? What are you staring at?" Yamaguchi calls out to Tsukishima. Tsukishima contains his trembling hands by shoving them in his pocket, turning his eyes away from the hill. "Nothing." Tsukishima says through clench teeth. Yamaguchi notices the pained expression in Tsukishima's face. Unsure what to say, Yamaguchi bites his tongue. "I think I'm going to go home Tadashi." Tsukishima doesn't wait for Yamaguchi's response when he starts to make his way out of the track field. "I'll come with!" Yamaguchi quickly runs over to Tsukishima's side, surprised that Tsukishima didn't tell him off. The two silently walk beside each other.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Suga and you both keep your distance from each other as you silently walk home. The only sound you can hear is your heart slowly beating at a normal pace. Suga opens the gate leading up to your house entrance for you and you quietly whisper a thank you. When the two of you reach your door, you nervously look up to Suga. "Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun." A small smile forms on your face when you stare at Suga. Suga nods his head, a soft shade of pink stains his cheeks. You rummage through your purse for your house key and place a hand on the doorknob. "W-Well, good night Suga." You nervously smile to him, inserting the house key in the doorknob. 

Turning your back to him you open the door slightly. 

"Y/N." Suga hesitantly calls out to you. "Yeah?" Your tone comes out a bit anxious. You mentally cringe at yourself. "You don't have to return my feelings right away." Suga looks directly into your eyes. "You're probably surprised and I don't want you to feel rushed." You slowly relax when you listen to Suga.

_He's too kind._

Suga nibbles on his lower lip, the pink on his cheeks turn red. "I'll wait as long as it takes for your response. My feelings for you won't change overnight." Suga nervously looks away from you and quickly slurs out a good night before walking away. Quietly, you watch Suga's back grow smaller and smaller when he's out of your reach. You release the breath you held and clench your chest.

_Your heart wouldn't stop pounding for him._

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Loud summer cicada's fill the silence between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Tsukishima's lowered his eyes to the concrete beneath his feet since leaving the school festival. He slowly stops walking, his mind in pure chaos. "Tsukki?" Yamaguchi calls out to him, confused to why he stopped walking. With a low tone Tsukishima speaks, "Tadashi...have you ever been in love?" Yamaguchi startles from Tsukishima's question. "N-Not exactly. Why?" 

Tsukishima glares at the concrete beneath him, teeth clenching. "One moment I'm angry, the next I'm excited for some dumb reason. I feel all these different types of emotions that I've never really felt before and it scares me. But at the same time, I also look forward to whatever comes next." Yamaguchi stares at Tsukishima's back that now trembles. Tsukishima's voice is now strained from tears. He pounds his fist against his chest. "But I've never felt this kind of pain in my life. Like I can't breath or think correctly." Tsukishima falls to his knees, his hand now pounding against the concrete. His knuckles staining red.

Yamaguchi quickly kneels over by Tsukishima's side with worried eyes. "T-Tsukki what happened?!" Yamaguchi shouts at him. Tsukishima doesn't reply to Yamaguchi's call. The tears he held back are now overflowing. "I can't breath Yamaguchi." Tsukishima sobs out, clenching where his heart is. "I thought I was prepared to be hurt but I was fucking wrong." Yamaguchi tries to piece things together, his hand rubbing Tsukishima's back to comfort him in some way. "D-Did Y/L/N reject you?" Yamaguchi carefully whispers those words. But the only answer he receives is Tsukishima's constant tears. A frown etches on Yamaguchi's face when he watches his best friend fall apart. 

Yamaguchi tries to stand Tsukishima up, placing Tsukishima's shoulder over his. "Let's just get you home. You need some rest Tsukki." Tsukishima quietly walks with Yamaguchi, the pain in his chest eating at him. Tsukishima doesn't dare to close his eyes for a brief moment. The image of Y/N kissing Suga only makes him weaker. 

The two walk up to the front door and Yamaguchi rings the door bell. Akiteru is the one to answer the door, the smile on his face drops when he see's Tsukishima. "Kei, what's wrong?!" Akiteru stares at Tsukishima with wide eyes. Yamaguchi nervously cuts into the conversation. "Tsukki's had a long day. Can you make sure he gets some rest?" Akiteru nods to Yamaguchi, swapping places with Yamaguchi. "Thanks for bringing him home Tadashi." Akiteru flashes Yamaguchi a smile before walking Tsukishima inside the house. 

The door clicks closed behind them and Akiteru walks Tsukishima to his bedroom. Gently he sits Tsukishima on his bed. "Hey, did something happen?" Akiteru softly whispers to Tsukishima. Tsukishima's eyes cloud over and he wears a blank face. Akiteru lowers his eyes and notices the blood on Tsukishima's knuckles. Knitting his brows together, he quickly leaves the room to get a first aid kit. Not long after Akiteru walks back with the kit, opening it to grab some wipes and band aids. Tsukishima silently sits there while Akiteru cleans up his cuts.

Lowering his eyes to his hands, Tsukishima starts to tear up again when he sees the band-aids on his hands. His thoughts running back to Y/N and her stupid smiley faced band-aid. A tear drops onto Akiteru's hand, startling him. "Akiteru...I saw them." Tsukishima's lips tremble when he speaks. Akiteru keeps his eyes focused on cleaning Tsukishima's other hand, quietly listening to Tsukishima. "Y/N...she kissed Suga." Tsukishima forces those words out. His lungs straining for air as Tsukishima sobs loudly in the darkness of his room. His shoulders trembling with every loud sob. 

Akiteru frowns beside him, wrapping his arms around Tsukishima in an embrace. Tsukishima hides his face in Akiteru's shoulder, his tears and snot staining Akiteru's sleeve. Akiteru slowly pats Tsukishima's back. "It's okay, let it all out Kei." Akiteru whispers in the most sweetest tone towards Tsukishima. Tsukishima no longer holds back and the two sit like this for awhile. There's only one thing that keeps circling Tsukishima's mind.

"Why couldn't it be me?" Tsukishima's strained voice speaks into the dark room. "Why?" The pain in his voice breaks Akiteru's heart.

_Why did it have to be Suga, Y/N?_


	52. Seesaw game

Your phone vibrates loudly on the night dresser and you groggily extend your hand towards the dresser. Without looking at the caller ID you tiredly whisper a hello. "Y/N." Tsukishima's quiet voice bolts you awake. "K-Kei?" You sit up straight and you're no longer feeling sleepy. You look over to the clock on your wall, the time reading 6:25AM. Running your fingers through your hair, you slouch your shoulders. "Is something wrong for you to call me so early, Kei?"

Tsukishima's breathing is sharp when he hears you ask him. "Yeah..." Knitting your brows together, you press the phone closer to your ear. "What's wrong?" 

"I can't tell you over the phone. Can you hurry over to the park that's near your place?" Tsukishima's voice seems strained and you can't help but grow worried. "Alright, I'll be right there." You quickly reply to him before hanging up. Not wanting to make Tsukishima wait, you toss your hair in a messy bun and only make enough time to brush your teeth before heading out in your pajama shorts and an oversize tee. The cool summer air sends chills down your spine but you brush it off. You make sure to lock the door behind you and quickly walk over to the park. 

Your thoughts jumble in your mind, wondering what is bothering Tsukishima. Taking a sharp right turn, you notice a familiar blonde haired guy sitting on a seesaw. "Kei!" You call out to him in the quiet morning air. Tsukishima slowly looks up and you quickly notice how swollen his eyes are. You hurry over to Tsukishima, staring down at him. "W-What's wrong Kei? You look horrible." Your eyes flick across his face with worry. You then notice the bandages on his knuckles, your hand slowly reaching out to touch them.

Tsukishima jerks back which startles you. Pursing your lips, you pull your hand back to your side. A disheartening feeling looms over you. "Can you take a seat on the opposite side?" Tsukishima points to the other end of the seesaw. You quietly nod your head and do as he says. Tsukishima lowers your end of the seesaw for you to easily sit down. You can't recall the last time you've been on a seesaw. Sitting down, you hold onto the handle bar in front of you. The two of you are eye level when you look across to Tsukishima. Your legs slightly dangling in the air.

"Um...can you tell me why you called me out here Kei?" Something about Tsukishima didn't feel right to you. Tsukishima bites his lower lip, slowly raising your end up. "What did you do yesterday at the festival Y/N?" Tsukishima looks up at you. Raising an eyebrow, you look down at him. "Well...Daichi brought me to the butler café." Tsukishima silently listens to you, waiting for you to continue. "I ate a flan dessert that Suga recommended." You then feel your end slowly raising. 

"What else?" Tsukishima bluntly asks. Your brows furrow from his tone. You figured Tsukishima might be upset because you went to the café when he insisted you not to. "Suga and I went to see Tanaka and Nishinoya. Their class had a haunted surprise maze." You anticipate Tsukishima to lift your end higher but he doesn't. His golden-brown eyes stay trained on you. "And then we walked around the food stalls." You slowly recall the events of yesterday. 

"Did you watch the fireworks with Suga too?" Tsukishima's piercing gaze burns through you when he asks. A sharp pain hits you in the chest from his question. Nervously you nod your head and Tsukishima raises the seesaw an inch taller. "Did anything happen when you two watched the fireworks?" Tsukishima's tone seems strained and anxiety wraps around you. Your eyes focus on Tsukishima's wavering ones. His tight hold on the handle bar turns his hand ghostly pale. Your breath escapes you when you've figured out why Tsukishima is acting like this. His questions aren't just random but with purpose and reason. 

"Kei, let me down." Your voice wavers when you look at him. Tsukishima does the opposite and raises you higher until you hear the thud of his end on the ground. "Answer the question Y/N." Tsukishima tries to maintain a composed face but you watch the corner of his lips twitch into a frown. "I...I don't want to." You choke out those words. A sadness washes over you when you realize the reasoning to why Tsukishima's eyes are swollen. 

**You are the reason why.**

Tsukishima must've seen what happened between you and Suga last night. "Why can't you tell me Y/N? What did you do?" Tsukishima clenches his teeth, his eyes wavering and his vision starts to blur. Tsukishima's words eat at you. You can feel tears wanting to litter your face from the corner of your eyes. A different kind of heartache fills you. The heartache of knowing you broke Tsukishima's heart. You figured this will happen eventually but you didn't know it would play out like this. Your chest aches when you look at the pain Tsukishima is in. Dragging the truth out will only hurt him more. 

Your lips tremble when you gaze into Tsukishima's golden-brown eyes. Slowly parting your lips you answer him. "Suga confessed his feelings for me...and he kissed me." The words roll off your tongue and everything seems to be frozen in time. Tsukishima just stares at you with a look of devastation. "Did you kiss him back?" Tsukishima winces when he asks this question, his voice soft and drawled out. His question rips you apart and you feel your tears break through when you reply to him. "I did." 

Tsukishima's face instantly contorts into a pained one. He gets off the seesaw which makes your end slam straight into the ground. You ignore the sudden pain of your feet hitting the ground. This pain can't compare to the one Tsukishima is currently feeling. You hesitate to step towards Tsukishima. His hands clench the sides of his head and he mumbles something incoherent. Carefully, you step closer to him. Tsukishima turns to face you, his hands fly towards your shoulders and he grips tightly. Wincing from the pain, you bite your lower lip to endure it.

"Why." Tsukishima glares at you. "Why is it Suga and not me?" The tears drip down his redden face. Your eyes widen when you see Tsukishima's tears. He gently shakes you in his grasp. "I'm better than him Y/N." A frown etches on your face when you hear Tsukishima cry out. "I'll be more reliable to you than Suga when he graduates. He can't be there for you if something happens. You have to see that, right?" Tsukishima furrows his brows together, his eyes clouded over. "So love me Y/N. I'll always be a second away from you." Tsukishima begs you, his tears fall onto your face when you look at him. You feel the grip on your shoulders loosen. Tsukishima falls onto his knees, his hands still on your shoulders. You watch him crumble before you and you can't seem to move any of your muscles. 

Frozen by Tsukishima's pain you can only look at him. 

Tsukishima's tears litter his lap and the concrete. You force yourself to move. Quietly you kneel in front of him, cupping his face with your small hands. Slowly, you lift up Tsukishima's face, your heart screams when you see how red his eyes are. Gently, you wipe his tears away, all the while having tears stream down your face. "I'm sorry Kei." You whisper through held back sobs. "I can't return your feelings." You watch Tsukishima's brows knit together, a scrunched expression reflecting back at you. "I told you before...I don't want to lead you on." 

Tsukishima removes his hands from your shoulders and grips onto your wrists. "I'd rather you lead me on than for you to reject me like this Y/N." Tsukishima begs. You shake your head, gripping onto Tsukishima's cheeks. "Stop saying things like that Kei." You pause before continuing. "You told me you'll be okay if I hurt you but I'm not okay with that." Tsukishima quietly looks at you, tears seeming to never stop. 

"Kei, you have to give up on me." 

Tsukishima looks heartbroken when he hears you say those words, his lips trembling to reply. "I don't want to." Biting your lip, you stare at Tsukishima. You mentally brace yourself to say the next few words. The words that will break Tsukishima further. 

"I like Suga, Kei."


	53. I much rather see you as my boyfriend

Your heart feels like it wants to rip out of your chest when you actually process your words.

_You like Suga._

Tsukishima slowly drops his hands to his sides. Carefully, you pull your hands away from Tsukishima's face. He's no longer looking at you but through you. Clenching his teeth and lowering his head, he whispers. "Despite you telling me that, my heart still beats for you." Tsukishima bites his lower lip. The frown on your face deepens. "Can you just leave me alone a bit? Sorry for calling you out here like this." Tsukishima forces his eyes shut. Words seem to disappear from you. Quietly you walk away, your chest feeling heavy with guilt.

Blinking the tears away you pull your phone out of your pocket. The time reflecting back to you.

**7:02 AM**

You tap your screen, pulling up your contacts. Your finger hovers over Suga's contact.

_Would he answer your call?_

Overwhelmed with emotions you call Suga.

**You want to see him.**

The slow rings echo back at you. You start to grow more depressed with each ring. Within the third ring you lower the phone from your ear. "Y/L/N?" Suga's groggy voice speaks from your phone. Your eyes widen and you quickly press the phone to your ear. "Did you call me?" You hesitate to answer. The tears that dried up earlier sprinkles onto your face."S-Suga." His name trembles out of your lips. You hear Suga ruffling around in his bed. "H-Hey, what's wrong? It sounds like you're crying." Suga's groggy voice is replaced with panic.

"I want to see you Suga." You whimper out, your hand clenching your chest. "Where are you at? I'll be right there. Just stay on the phone with me, okay?" Suga flings his blanket off of him and dashes down the staircase. You tell him you are outside of the park entrance by your house. "What are you doing there so early in the morning?" Suga asks with a worried tone, his voice wavering when he starts to run. "Kei." Is all that you can mutter out. You feel yourself falling apart just thinking about Tsukishima. Suga stays quiet over the phone, his feelings contorting together. He feared what the conversation may be about.

"Is he still with you?" Suga carefully asks. "No...he wanted to be left alone." You close your eyes and squat down, not holding the tears back. Suga can clearly hear the pain in Y/N's voice. His brows furrowing together. "Hey, everything will be okay." You quietly listen to Suga's calming voice. "You lived through multiple heartbreaks from Kageyama, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"This one will pass too. It'll just take some time." You're unable to respond to Suga, quietly sobbing to yourself. You know this pain will pass but it's the fact that you hurt someone who is important to you. Tsukishima became a close friend that you could depend on. Guilt consumes you that you couldn't return his feelings. But you don't regret liking Suga in the slightest. You lower the phone from your ear, hiding your face in your arms. Suga hears your soft sobs on the other end of the call. You're not sure how long you sit like this crying. Loud footsteps head your way and you hear someone pant above you.

Slowly you raise your head to see Suga covered in sweat. His cheeks red from running.

_Suga is really here._

"Suga." Your voice trembles when you call out to him. Suga forms a small smile, leaning down to embrace you. The comforting smell of linen and citrus hits you. Suga gently rubs your back. "I'm here." Suga whispers beside you. Your eyes waver when you hear him say that. Your hands clench onto his shirt and you muffle your sobbing into his shoulder. Suga quietly rubs your back in circular motions. "Let's take you home Y/N." Suga slowly pulls away to look at you. You shake your head. "I want to be with you longer Suga." The softness in your tone startles Suga. His cheeks flush a deep red. 

"O-Okay. If that's what you want." Suga helps you stand up, taking hold of your hand. "Did you want to come to my place?" You flutter your eyelashes, sniffling. "If it's no trouble for you." You whisper under your breath. Suga gently squeezes your hand and he takes the lead. You quietly walk beside Suga, wiping away the tears that continue to slide down your face. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After walking for a bit, Suga releases your hand briefly to grab the house keys out of his pocket. Your mind slowly takes in the situation. 

_You're going to be alone with Suga at his house._

Suga unlocks the door and opens it for you. You purse your lips, no longer in tears and with a clearer mind. "Are your parents home Suga?" You nervously ask. "They left for work earlier this morning." Suga answers you. He notices your nervousness and chuckles. "I won't do anything to you Y/L/N if that's what you're worried about." Suga carefully moves your bangs away from your eyes. "I like you too much to do something you wouldn't like." Your eyes waver when you look at Suga's sweet smile. Your cheeks flush red again and you lower your eyes. 

"Let's go in. I'll make some tea for us." Suga gives you a slight nudge and you step inside. The décor of the house is much more traditional than yours. You notice several plants when you take your shoes off at the foyer. Suga hands you an extra pair of slippers and he disappears towards the kitchen. You slowly take in the space around you. Suga's home is much smaller than yours. Not wanting to snoop around, you find your way to the living room and sit on one of the cushions on the floor by the kotatsu table. Suga comes back with two cups of matcha tea and two flan pudding cups. 

"Here you go. This should comfort you." Suga places the matcha tea in front of you and then a pudding cup beside you with a spoon. A smile forms on your face when you see the pudding cup. "Thank you Suga." You softly say to him, ripping off the lid and sinking your spoon in the flan before taking a bite. Suga smiles when he watches you. The two of you sit in silence eating flan. You raise the matcha tea to your lips, the warmth soothing you. 

"Sorry for waking you up so early on a weekend." You murmur towards Suga. Suga shakes his head, his eyes looking towards you. "Don't apologize. I'm actually really happy you called me." Suga averts his eyes down to his tea, a small smile on his face. "If you want to talk about this morning, I'm all ears." Your body tenses just thinking about Tsukishima. But you've calmed down a lot since earlier. Your fingers grip onto the cup and you speak up. "Kei..." Your mind keeps flashing Tsukishima's pained expression. A frown forms on your face and you push through. "He saw us yesterday." 

Suga tenses. You try to force Tsukishima's expression out of your mind but it stays. Your lips tremble and the tears stain your face again. "I told him that you confessed and that you kissed me. The look on his face broke me. But I broke him more when I told him I kissed you back too." Suga feels his chest tighten. He's unable to read Y/N's feelings.

_Are you crying because you like Tsukishima and you're upset you hurt him?_

_Or are you crying for another reason? Did you regret kissing him over Tsukishima?_

Wiping a few of your tears, you force yourself to continue. "Kei...that idiot. He told me to love him over you." Your eyes flick up to see Suga's conflicted face. Suga's shoulders are stiff and he nervously meets your eyes. Anticipating your next words. "Kei made me feel guilty for my actions and feelings. But why should I feel guilty when I like you Kōshi?" You blurt out, the tears trickling down your face. Covering your face with your hands you cry out. "Why should I feel so guilty for liking you Kōshi?" Suga's breath escapes him as he watches you cry in front of him. He's overwhelmed by your confession. He tries to process your words. Suga stares at you in disbelief, not believing what he's hearing. 

"I like you so much Kōshi that it hurts." You clench a hand over your heart. "I didn't think I would be able to fall in love again but you changed that." Suga snaps out of his thoughts and hurries over to your side. His arms pulls you close to him into an embrace. You feel his body tremble around you. "This isn't a dream, right Y/N? You're not just saying this because you're overwhelmed with emotions, right?" Suga grips onto you tightly, his head resting on your shoulder. You shake your head against Suga's body. Your lips trembling again when you confess your feelings.

"I really really like you Kōshi." 

Suga lets out an exasperated sigh which tickles your neck. "Thank god." Suga whispers. He raises his head off your shoulder and looks down at you. Your eyes widen when you see tears stream down Suga's face. "I'm so glad my feelings aren't one sided and I'm so glad you feel the same way about me Y/N." Your heart beats rapidly when you see the relief in Suga's face. Your hands carefully reach up to Suga's face to wipe his tears. "How could I not like you Kōshi? You've been here for me since the very start." Your soft tone soothes Suga. "You've always treated me with kindness and don't tell me that it's because of the stupid excuse about you being my upperclassman." 

Suga chuckles through his tears. "But I still am your upperclassman, Y/N." You feel a spark of confidence when you look at Suga. "I much rather see you as my boyfriend." Suga stares at you in surprise. His lips part slightly and you quietly look at his stun expression. Suga's cheeks turn a deep ruby, his ears also heating up before you. "U-Um." Suga averts his eyes away from you, shyness envelopes him and you giggle under your breath. 

_He's so cute._

You feel Suga loosen his hold on you. He shyly looks around the room, running his hand through his light grey hair. "How should I do this?" Suga murmurs under his breath. You quietly look at him. Suga nervously looks at you, nibbling on his bottom lip. "Y/N..." You tilt your head, waiting for Suga to continue. "Will...will you be my girlfriend?" Suga fumbles his words out, his face now completely red. You feel your heart flip, an overwhelming joyful emotion spreads through your body. "Of course." You blink away the tears forming on the corner of your eyes. 

Suga grins from ear to ear. "I'm so glad." He whispers. Suga extends his hand out, lifting your chin up. You grow nervous when Suga leans his face close to yours. "I promise to cherish you Y/N. Every little bit of you." Suga locks his lips with yours. Your face flushes at the sudden kiss. But you don't hate it. Closing your eyes, you softly kiss Suga. The two of you quietly kiss one another, savoring the moment. With each kiss you taste a little sweetness of the flan from Suga's lip. 


	54. Stay away

You nervously pull away from Suga, the two of you dazed from the shared kiss. Pressing your lips together you shyly look down to your lap. Suga blushes in front of you, clearing his throat. "Um, did you want to spend the day with me since you're already here?" Suga quietly asks you. Neither of you looking at each other. "S-Sure, what did you plan to do today?" You're the one to look over at Suga. Seeing Suga flustered makes you smile slightly. 

_He's too adorable damn it._

"I was just going to spend the day at home catching up on a few anime series." Suga forms a lopsided smile. "But, I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy that. So we can do something else." You shake your head, eyes completely focused on Suga. "I'm interested to see what kind of anime you watch Kōshi." Suga looks surprised for a second before forming his trademark smile. "If you're okay with that then I can't say no. Let's head upstairs to my room then." Suga stands up, extending a hand towards you. You place your hand in his large palm and let Suga guide you upstairs. Your eyes stare at your held hand. 

The two of you held hands before and it always felt so natural. Now that the two of you are dating, you start to feel shy just looking at your clasp hands. Suga opens his door for the both of you and takes a step inside. You're not surprised by how clean he keeps his room. Unlike Tsukishima's room, Suga's roomed feels more lived in by the amount of things that fill his room. Suga grabs his laptop off of his desk, plopping himself on his bed. He pats beside him, ushering you to come sit on the bed. Your face flushes at the thought of being on his bed. Your fingers clenching the ends of your oversize tee. Suga notices your redden face and chuckles dryly. He places the laptop beside him and walks over to you, pulling you with him. 

"I promised I wouldn't do anything to you Y/N." Suga gives your hand a slight squeeze. The two of you sit in Suga's bed, your backs resting against the bed-frame. You know Suga wouldn't do anything sexual but you still have to remind yourself that Suga is a man. Besides, you've never been in someone else's bed besides your own. "Sorry for overreacting." You murmur under your breath while Suga clicks away on his laptop. "You're not." Suga turns his attention away from the laptop screen and you notice Suga's expression change before you. A glimmer shines in Suga's hazel eyes, his forehead presses against yours. A playful smirk etches on his face and you feel your heart stop. 

"I'm glad you're aware that I am a man with desire Y/N." Suga's scent wafts towards you and you feel his breath against your lips. A tingle runs down your spine when you see this different side of Suga. You're nervous but excited all at once. Suga then forms a warm smile, erasing the tension he built. "Sorry, I shouldn't play around with you like that." He chuckles, returning his gaze back to the laptop. Pressing your lips together, you feel the heat in your face. Your insides flipping. 

This relationship is already starting to give you a heart attack. 

The two of you spend majority of the morning watching anime before Suga walks you back home in the afternoon. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The weekend went by in a flash. You're currently watching the volleyball team practice. At least you are trying to. You keep lowering your eyes when you see Tsukishima. The two of you haven't made eye contact all day and neither of you are speaking to each other. You're not the only one who's realized that. The entire team feels a dark cloud looming over Tsukishima. His blocks are more precise today. 

You feel a tap on your shoulder, pulling you away from looking at the practice. "Y/L/N can you call the team over for a break? They've been practicing for awhile now." Kiyoko smiles at you warmly. Nodding your head, you nervously get up from the bench. Clapping your hands together, you call out to them. "Hey you guys, let's take a short break!" Everyone listens to you besides Tsukishima. His back to you when he slams the volleyball against the wall. Biting your lower lip you nervously walk over to Tsukishima. "K-Kei, you should take a break." 

"Don't call me that." Tsukishima coldly says towards you and you feel a needle pierce your heart. The corner of your eyes start to form tears from his harsh tone. You watch an imaginary wall build in front of you. Your shoulders droop when you look at Tsukishima's back. Biting your tongue you stand your ground. Your eyes carefully watch the ball return to Tsukishima. You jump in front of Tsukishima, slapping the ball away from the wall and towards the right. Tsukishima looks surprised when he sees your back in front of him. But he quickly knits his brows together. 

"What did you do that for?!" Tsukishima raises his voice at you. You clench your hands into fists to rid the anxiety that crawls in your palms. Slowly, you turn to look at Tsukishima. "Stop being stubborn and take a break Tsukishima." You raise the volume in your voice, your eyes trembling when you look at Tsukishima directly in the eye. Tsukishima's piercing eyes reflect back at you and you can see the irritation on his face. You assume Tsukishima's anger is his defense mechanism against you since it'd be impossible for him to ignore you completely. Your heart aches a little knowing that the friendship you had with Tsukishima is no more. Just like yours and Kageyama's "friendship". 

Tsukishima clicks his tongue under his breath, turning his back to you and walking away. You then feel all of your pent up energy escape you. Exhaling under your breath, you walk over to the volleyball you slapped away, picking it up and staring at it. A few tears splattering onto the ball. "Y/L/N." A soft timid voice calls out to you from behind. You hurry to wipe your tears away and turn around. Yamaguchi stands in front of you. "Can we talk?" You try to hold back from biting your lip. Anxiety wraps you around it's finger and you feel your chest tightening slightly. "Sure." You softly reply. Yamaguchi leads you outside of the gym and the two of you stop just outside the door. 

"I'm just going to get straight to the point." Yamaguchi looks down at you. "Are you and Suga dating?" Your breath hitches when you look at Yamaguchi. You stand there taken aback for a short while. "So you are." Yamaguchi takes your silence as a yes, an exhale leaving his lips. You watch Yamaguchi ruffle his hair, a conflicted expression on his face. Yamaguchi turns his eyes back on you, a serious stare on his face. "Can I ask you to stay away from Tsukki?" You feel a sadness wash over you. "I know it's not your fault that you couldn't return your feelings but...I don't want to see Tsukki so heartbroken like that again." 

You lower your eyes, gripping onto the volleyball tightly. "You don't have to tell me that Yamaguchi." Your voice is barely audible. "As much as I'd want Tsukishima and I to somehow remain as friends, I know that's impossible. I broke his heart after all." You place a hand over your heart, clenching your chest. Raising your head up, you look directly into Yamaguchi's eyes. "So I don't need you to tell me to stay away from Tsukishima Kei." You painfully say those words aloud, the tears sliding down your face. Yamaguchi freezes when he see's the tears on your face. His brows furrow upwards into worry. 

"I-I'm sorry. That was out of line of me." Yamaguchi's stare is erased with guilt when he looks at you. "Just take care of Tsukishima." You say your last words to Yamaguchi before stepping back into the gym. You wipe the tears away from your face and place the volleyball away in a basket. Tsukishima raises his head up from the bench and notices your distant expression, his eyes then darting towards where you came from. Yamaguchi reenters the gym, his hand ruffling the side of his head. 

Kiyoko notices your sadden expression and walks over to you. Your hands fumbling to throw your backpack on. "Is everything alright, Y/L/N?" Kiyoko knits her brows together, a frown on her face. You force a smile on your face. "Not really, but I'll be fine by tomorrow. Sorry for leaving practice early I just need to go home." You say to her. "I'll be sure to stay behind tomorrow to clean up everything so you don't have to." Kiyoko shakes her head, placing a hand on the top of your head. "You seem to be troubled a lot from these guys. I'll amp up their practices for you. Get home safely." Her hand gently pats your head and she forms a small smile towards you. 

A warmth flickers in your chest from Kiyoko's words. You nod your head and thank her. You avoid making eye contact with the others, quickening your pace when you head towards the door. However, Suga quickly notices your leave. He gets up from the bench and rushes out after you, ignoring Daichi's call. "Y/N, are you leaving already?" Suga calls out to you from behind, stopping you where you stand. You hear his footsteps head towards you, his tall form standing in front of you. Suga carefully places a hand on your face, his brows knitting together. "Were you crying?" Suga's low tone fills your ears. You nod your head to his question. There's no reason for you to lie to Suga. 

"Who did it?" Suga knits his brows together, his thumb gently stroking your face. "I don't want to say his name." You whisper, looking up at him. Suga quietly connects the dots and keeps the answer to himself. A sigh escaping his lips when he looks at you with gentle eyes. "You're kind through and through Y/N. Even though Tsukishima is acting like an asshole, you still care about him. It makes me a little jealous." Suga exasperatingly chuckles. "Sorry." You frown towards Suga. Suga shakes his head, lowering his hand from your face. "I'm just sorry that Tsukishima won't have the luxury to do this." 

You raise an eyebrow and Suga inches his face close to yours. Your eyes naturally close and you feel Suga's plush lips. The kiss delicate and sweet. "Y/N." Suga softly calls your name and you slowly open your eyes. Suga fills your vision. "I want you to cry over me, not Tsukishima. Call me selfish all you want. But I'd feel happier knowing that I'm stuck on your mind like how you are on mine." Your chest clenches and you continue to look at Suga who smiles at you. "Should I walk you home?" Suga stands up, his hand easily taking hold of yours. 

"You still have practice Kōshi. Don't skip out on it because of me." You give his hand a squeeze, taking your hand away from him. "But I barely get any time on the court in actual games." Suga mumbles under his breath, a pout forming on his face. You can't hold back the smile on your face when you see Suga act so adorably. "The more you practice, the more Coach Ukai will put you in the games. I also want to see you play in a game again Kōshi. You look really cool when you're playing volleyball." You blush when you look at him. 

Suga's cheeks heat up from your words. His words escape from him when he tries to respond. "W-Well...I'll have to work super hard then so you can see me in a game." Suga raises his hands up into a fist, firing himself up. "I guess I'll stay back and practice a bit longer. Text me when you get home Y/N." Suga flashes you one more smile before jogging back inside. You watch him leave with a smile of your own. 


	55. Hate me

Suga reemerges in the gym with a newfound fire to practice. "Alright, let's start practicing again." Kiyoko speaks loudly, there's a glimmer in her eyes when she turns to look at them. Everyone stiffens when they see Kiyoko. "K-Kiyoko you look a bit scary." Asahi nervously says, his shoulders raised. "I think it's pretty sexy." Tanaka mumbles next to Nishinoya who nods his head eagerly. "10 extra laps for Tanaka and Nishinoya." Kiyoko curtly says. She claps her hands together. "Start running." 

"WHAT?! I DIDN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING THOUGH." Nishinoya boasts aloud. "5 more for you Nishinoya." Kiyoko doesn't look up from her notebook. The others scramble to get off the bench, not wanting to run more laps than necessary. Suga is the first to run out towards the track field. Daichi looks at him from a distance. "Wonder what's motivated him." Daichi chuckles, smiling to himself. Asahi stands next to Daichi. "He sure looks pumped up." Asahi grins, patting Daichi on the shoulder. "We should start running too before Kiyoko adds more laps for us." Daichi nods to Asahi, the two keeping up with each other. 

Tsukishima glares at Suga, his eyes sharp. "Tsukki, we should start running too." Yamaguchi calls out to Tsukishima. Tsukishima doesn't say a word and starts to run outside towards the track field. His long legs easily helping him run past the others. "W-Wait for me Tsukki!" Yamaguchi yells out, he clumsily starts to chase after Tsukishima.The fresh summer breeze flows through Suga's light grey hair. His heartbeat pounding in his chest from his quick pace. Each step he takes feels as if he's walking on clouds. Suga's never felt so happy in his life. His mind wandering to the thoughts of Y/N. A smile forms on his face when he thinks about her smile. Her lips especially. 

_Damn her lips._

They were so soft against his and he ached for it. Suga feels his face heat up and his insides twist when he thinks about her like this. Shaking his head, he runs quicker. Suga's hormones will run wild if he continues to think like that. Snapping out of his thoughts; Suga hears someone run up behind him. He turns his neck to see who it is. Upon seeing Tsukishima, Suga narrows his eyes.

_How'd Tsukishima run this far ahead to catch up to him?_

Suga turns his attention forward, trying to focus on his own pace. Tsukishima makes his way up to Suga, slowing his pace to match Suga's. Suga looks at Tsukishima from the corner of his eye, unsure why Tsukishima is beside him. "Must be nice." Tsukishima says in a low tone under his breath. Something about his tone irritates Suga immensely. "What is?" Suga replies in his usual tone, not wanting Tsukishima to pick up his irritation. "To feel so happy and free." Tsukishima bluntly says, looking at Suga from the corner of his eye. 

Suga presses his lips together, brows furrowed. He's unsure how to respond to Tsukishima. "How does it feel to have your feelings returned Suga?" Tsukishima speaks coldly. Suga stops himself, glaring at Tsukishima. "What's your deal Tsukishima." 

"You." Tsukishima stops beside Suga, shooting him a sharp piercing gaze. "I don't understand what Y/N see's in you. Did you manipulate her with your kindness?" Tsukishima takes a step towards Suga. Suga stands his ground, glaring at Tsukishima. Tsukishima chuckles, a lopsided smirk on his face. "I never knew you could make such a hateful face Suga." The glimmer in Suga's eyes disappears into darkness and his hands clench into fists. "I did no such thing Tsukishima." Suga eyes Tsukishima directly in the eyes. The two not wavering from their intense stares. 

"Then you must've did something to make Y/N like you." 

"Have you ever thought that maybe Y/N fell for me on her own?"Suga's words causes Tsukishima to grimace, he scrunches his nose. His heart starts to rip apart again. "As if." Tsukishima leans towards his anger, not wanting to think of that option. "Stop being delusional Tsukishima. I know you're hurt but you can't change Y/N's feelings." Those words hit Tsukishima too close to home. Frustration builds up and Tsukishima raises a fist, aiming it towards Suga. 

Suga purposely doesn't dodge Tsukishima and takes the hit straight on in the cheek. Grunting from the pain, Suga keeps his eyes on Tsukishima. "Hit me all you want Tsukishima. This won't change the fact that Y/N and I are together." Tsukishima loses his temper and throws another punch. Suga falters back slightly from the hit, his lip now bleeding. "Why are you not fighting back?!" Tsukishima yells at Suga who's taking every hit Tsukishima throws at him. Suga winces when Tsukishima's fist meets his face again. 

"Because Y/N will cry if she finds out I hit you." Suga says through clench teeth, his hand wiping away the blood on his lips. Tsukishima freezes, his chest heaving up and down from the adrenaline. Tsukishima looks at Suga with wide wavering eyes. "What?" 

"Y/N still cares a lot about you. She wouldn't tell me you are the reason she cried earlier today." Tsukishima recalls Y/N's distant face when she walked back in the gym after speaking to Yamaguchi. He then recalls to her yelling at him for being stubborn and not taking a break. Suga takes Tsukishima's distraction to his advantage and kicks Tsukishima's legs, making him drop to his knees. Tsukishima flicks his eyes up to Suga who stands above him. "I never said anything about not kicking you." Suga smirks with a beat up face, standing upright. "As much as I dislike how much Y/N cares about you, I suggest you hate me and not her. I'm the one who took her away from you." 

Tsukishima looks at Suga in complete silence, his emotions twirling around. "So don't hurt her purposely. Your friendship to her is important and she's hurting just as much as you are." Suga starts to walk away but stops to say one last thing to Tsukishima. "Next time I won't willingly let you punch me Tsukishima." The dark tone in Suga's voice makes Tsukishima stay silent, lowering his eyes to the track field. "HEY. WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Coach Ukai runs up to the two, furious. Suga forms a smile on his face when Coach Ukai glares at him. 

"Running, of course." Suga says nonchalantly. 

"My ass, you two are. What idiot decides to fight in the middle of a running practice." Coach Ukai looks at Suga's redden face, then darts his eyes towards Tsukishima who slowly gets up. "Sorry, sir. I'll do a few more laps then." Suga bows slightly and dashes away before Coach Ukai can lecture him further. He breezes past Tsukishima, purposely bumping against his shoulder. Tsukishima doesn't react much to Suga. His mind still in a whirlwind. "You better start running Tsukishima!" Coach Ukai barks over to him. Tsukishima exhales under his breath with irritation and starts to run, his eyes looking at Suga's back. 

"He's more respectable than I am." Tsukishima mumbles to himself. He wouldn't have taken those blows if Suga was the one to throw them. Tsukishima focuses on practice for the remainder of the day, not wanting to ponder on his emotions.


	56. Did you say you love me?

You step inside the foyer and the empty house greets you. Your parents seem to be at work still. Pulling your phone out, you ready yourself to text Suga. But your screen flashes Hinata's number, an incoming call. Raising an eyebrow you press the answer button and raise the phone to your ear. "Hinata?" 

"Y/L/N! TSUKISHIMA AND SUGA HAD A FIGHT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BUT I SAW IT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES." Hinata's words are frantic and his breathing is heavy. You hear his loud footsteps, running. "W-Wait, calm down Hinata." You lower your backpack by the staircase and slide your shoes back on, stepping out of the house again. Hinata takes in a deep breath and stops in his tracks, his breathing sharp. "Sorry. Let me restart." Hinata dryly chuckles, standing upright. "Kiyoko had us practice on the track field and the team are running laps around the field. Suga and Tsukishima ran further ahead than all of us so we witnessed the whole situation go down. Tsukishima just kept throwing punches at Suga and Suga just took it." 

Your brows knit together, you're now the one who's running. "Why?" You question with a frown. 

_Why did things escalate so quickly when you left practice?_

"I-I'm not sure. Coach Ukai told us to focus on practice and that he'd handle the situation." Hinata scratches the side of his head, looking across the track at Tsukishima and Suga who are just running. Confused and worried, you thank Hinata for calling you and quickly hang up. You force your legs to run quicker back to school.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After running for what seems like hours, your heart feels like it's stuck in your throat. You lean over, your hands on your knees trying to force air into your lungs. "Y/L/N?" Kiyoko notices you and she quickly walks over to your side. Her hand gently rests on your back. "What are you doing back here?" You look up to Kiyoko, sweat dripping down the sides of your face. With a heavy breath you ask her, "W-Where's Suga?" Kiyoko flicks her eyes towards the track field and points over to Suga. "He's heading this way." Kiyoko lowers her hand when you follow her line of sight. 

A frown etches on your face when you see Suga's redden face, his lip bruised. You feel slight relief that he's not seriously hurt and your legs subconsciously run over to him. "Kōshi!" You call out to him and he raises his head up to see you dash towards him. His eyes widen and he slows down. "Y/N? W-What are you doing here?" Suga stammers out, noticing how sweaty and red your face is. His brows turn upward and a small smile forms on his face. "Did you run here?" You try to recollect yourself again in front of Suga. "Hinata called me." You say through harsh breathing. Your hands fly up to his face and you delicately touch his lip. 

Suga tenses from your touch, his eyes widening for a second. "Didn't I say for you to focus on practice?" You mumble under your breath, your eyes full of worry when you look at his lip and then to his eyes. "Why'd you let Tsukishima hit you? Why didn't you fight back?" Questions continue to pour out of your lips and the corner of your eyes sting with tears. Suga remains quiet, his eyes focus on you. Suga places his large hands over yours and smiles towards you. His warmth relaxes you. 

"Because I know you would be sad if I hit Tsukishima." Suga speaks softly and slowly. His hazel eyes gentle. You stare at Suga with wide eyes, your lips parting slightly and no words come out. Your chest tightens and your heart skips. 

_Suga was thinking about your feelings instead of his._

You bite your bottom lip, crying. "Kōshi, you..." You shut your eyes tightly. "You're too good to me." Suga quietly chuckles, lowering your hands down from his face. His fingers gently wipe your tears away. "I was surprised myself. That I willingly let myself get hurt." Suga's tone is much softer now. Your eyes slowly open to look up at him. "But I love you too much for you to be the one who gets hurt. I'll take as many punches as I need to if it means you'll be untouched." You forget how to breath when you stare at Suga's sincere expression. You're overwhelmed by his love and the warmth that spreads throughout your body. 

"D-Did you say you love me?" Your mind is fixated on that sentence. Suga scrunches his nose shyly, his cheeks turning pink. "Ah...I-I guess I did. If I'm going too fast, I'm sorry." Suga lowers his head to you, apologizing. "I just feel so happy Y/N." You slowly move closer to him, wrapping your arms around his waist. You're suddenly aware of Suga's tall frame and muscles when your cheek presses against his chest. That scent you've grown familiar to. Fresh linen and citrus with a hint of sweat from Suga's running. Suga's scent alone comforts you. 

"Y-Y/N?" Suga nervously stammers your name above you. Suga's a gentle soul with kindness that he showers you endlessly with. The smile he wears when he sees you makes you smile too. His love for you by far exceeds your expectations of what you thought love should be like with Kageyama. You doubt you'd find another guy willingly asking to be hurt in your stead and not throw a few punches in himself. You tighten your grip around Suga, pressing your ear against his chest. The sound of his heart beats at a fast rate. 

Slowly you raise your head to look at the frazzled Suga. A sweet smile graces your lips and Suga starts to blush from the sight. "I love you Sugawara Kōshi." The words naturally slip off your tongue and your own heart rate picks up. Suga shyly covers his face with his hands. The tips of his ears are red and you giggle, slowly releasing your hold on him. You don't bother to hide your flushed face. "God you're too cute." Suga groans into his palms. 

Your eyes then flick over to a person who stands behind Suga. The smile on your face falls when you look at Tsukishima. Your lips twitching into a frown. "Y/N, can we talk?" Tsukishima quietly speaks towards you. Your hands clench into fists and you furrow your brows together. "If you're going to make me cry again...I don't think I can." Suga turns around to look at Tsukishima. The two of you stare at Tsukishima's clouded eyes. Tsukishima bites his bottom lip, brows knit together and fists clenching. "That's the last thing I'll do." Tsukishima's tone is weak. "I'll make it quick." 

Your eyes follow Tsukishima who walks over to the bleachers. Suga gently places a hand on your shoulder, giving you a squeeze. You turn around to look at Suga who greets you with a smile. "Go see what he has to say. I'll go change and wait for you by the courtyard so we can walk home together." You nod your head and the two of you split off. With heavy legs, you make your way over to Tsukishima. When you reach the bleachers you give yourself some distance between Tsukishima. Your eyes looking straight ahead. The wind gently flows your hair behind your back.

Tsukishima rests his legs on the bleacher seats in front of him, leaning forward with his hands clasp together. His eyes stare at his tightly squeezed hands. Silence fills the awkward tension between the two of you. "I'm sorry for my behavior." Tsukishima speaks up. Your hands tense up and you slowly dig your fingernails into your palm. "I'm just heartbroken and seeing the two of you together kills me on the inside." You press your lips together, eyes still ahead and not on Tsukishima. Tsukishima also looks forward. "I did a lot of thinking over the weekend and I figured the best solution was to treat you coldly so that way you wouldn't appear in front of me again." Tsukishima quietly snickers, a lopsided smirk on his face. "But obviously that didn't work. You appear in front of me anyway." Tsukishima slowly turns his eyes over to you. 

You nervously look over to Tsukishima, a pained smile on his pale face. "It will take some time for me to get over you Y/N. I may have my days where I'll distance myself from you or treat you coldly." Tsukishima speaks slowly. "But I hope you won't take it personally. I don't want to lose the friendship we've built together over this. I'll try to become a better man, like Suga." Your eyes widen when you listen to Tsukishima, his eyes lowering down from your gaze. "Despite how much I envy Suga, he proved to me that he's the better guy for you. He really puts your feelings first over his. I don't know anyone like that." Tsukishima runs his fingers through his hair, sitting up straight. 

"The way he looked when he spoke about you while I hit him...it was admirable." Tsukishima drags out a sigh. He turns his attention to you, expecting you to say something. Your lips twitch and you're unsure what to say to Tsukishima. Your emotions are a mess. "I'll keep my distance from you Tsukishima." You softly say to him, your eyes never wavering away from his face. "I appreciate you speaking to me like this and...I'll await for the day where we can speak like friends again." You start to get up from your spot and Tsukishima calls out to you. 

"Thank you for listening to me Y/N." You avoid turning around to look at Tsukishima, his pained voice is enough for you to know the expression he's making. "And...I'd like it if you called me Kei again. If it's not too selfish of me." Tsukishima stares at your small frame. Your eyes waver and you nod your head. "Take care Kei." You whisper to him, quickly walking down the bleachers and away from his gaze. Knowing you're a good distance away from Tsukishima, you release an exhale. The tightness in your chest relaxes and you hurry over to the courtyard. 

_You'd really like to see Suga right now._

You quicken your pace and see Suga patiently waiting in the courtyard. He holds something in his hand while he stares at the concrete. A smile forms on your face when you see him. "Kōshi!" You call out to him, running over to his side. Suga brightens when he sees you. "Did you two have a nice chat?" You nod your head. "I guess you can say that." Suga hands you the item he's holding and you notice it's a juice box. 

"Is this for me?" You take the juice box from him and the coldness of the juice box cools your warm hands. Suga nods his head, intertwining one of your hands with his. His head turns over to a tree trunk. "I was just remembering the day you sat over by that tree with a milk box. You had such a sad expression on your face." Suga softly recalls the memory. "I didn't know you very well at that time but I couldn't just walk away from you when you looked like that." Suga returns his gaze to you. "Sorry it's not milk. Kageyama bought the last one." 

You shake your head, smiling at Suga. "I prefer juice more. I only bought milk for Kageyama." 

"Oh, then I'm glad he bought the last one then." Suga grins at you, squeezing your hand gently. "Should we go home now?" You nod your head, feeling happiness warm your chest with Suga by your side. You gently squeeze his hand back and pull him along. 

_You're really thankful for Suga._


	57. First date

A month has passed since Suga and you have been dating. The two of you have been busy with school work and volleyball games lately. But today the two of you are going on you're very overdue first date. "Y/N, Suga is here!" Your mom calls you from downstairs. You quickly check yourself in the mirror. You woke up early to make yourself look pretty for Suga. Seeing your reflection makes your cheeks blush. "Did I overdue it with the makeup?" You look at yourself in the mirror. You had enough time to also curl your hair. Not looking a moment longer at yourself you quickly grab your purse and close your bedroom door. 

You hurry down the steps and Suga notices your rush. "H-Hey, don't run down the stairs." Suga extends his arms out, preparing to catch you if you tripped down. You blush when you see Suga standing there. He looked extremely handsome today in his denim jacket, white plain tee, ripped up skinny jeans, and black converses. You slow yourself down to take a better look at him. Suga also takes a longer look at you. His eyes noticing your curled hair, natural makeup, off the shoulder black blouse with sunflowers embroidered, light blue skinny jeans, and converses.

"You look beautiful Y/N." Suga compliments you, his cheeks pink. "Of course she does. She gets her looks from her mother." Dad walks over to the two of you with a grin. Your face flushes red from embarrassment. Suga bows to your dad and greets him. "So where are you two heading off to?" Dad raises an eyebrow, looking specifically at Suga. Mom hurries over to pull dad away by his arm. "You idiot, can't you tell they're going on a date?" Suga chuckles at your parents and you mentally groan. Your hand reaches out to grab Suga's hand, pulling him closer to the door. Suga startles from your grasp and willingly follows you. 

"Well I know that. I was just curious where he was taking her, honey." Dad grumbles, his eyes returning back to the two of you escaping. "I'll make sure to bring her back home safely sir!" Suga blurts out before he closes the door behind the two of you. You inhale the morning air, feeling your embarrassment from earlier leave you. Suga looks down next to you. "Are you sure we shouldn't tell them where we're going?" You look up to Suga with a nod. "I told mom last night."

"Oh, okay then." Suga smiles at you and the two of you walk over to a bus stop. The two of you make small talk while you wait for the bus to arrive. "I'm sorry things have been so busy on my end." Suga says with a slight frown. You shake your head, giving his hand a small squeeze. "You're graduating this year so I understand. Have you picked a college?" You look at Suga with gentle eyes. Suga nods his head. "Daichi and I are enrolling in the same one." He smiles when he thinks about Daichi. The two being really close friends. Your smile stays on your face when you look at Suga, a sadness does tingle in your chest when you think about Suga no longer being at Karasuno High. 

You force the thought out of your mind but your facial expression gives you away, your eyes downcast. Suga softly calls out your name and you lift your head up. Suga gently kisses your lips and you freeze up. "Are you having sad thoughts again?" Suga's breath tickles against your lips. Biting your lower lip, you nod to him. He kisses you again, less gentle than the one before. His free hand caresses your cheek. "Just focus on the now Y/N. Okay?" Your vision fills with Suga's sweet smile. You tremble out an okay. 

"Good." Suga grins, kissing you again. Every kiss he plants on your lips steals your breath away and your insides twist. You return his kiss ever so gently. The two of you pull away when you hear the rumbling sound of the bus arriving. "Looks like our ride is here." Suga looks past you towards the bus.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After taking the bus to the train station and roughly two hours of being on the train, the two of you arrive in Tokyo. "I figured it would be busy but I didn't think it'd be this busy." Suga says beside you, the two of you exiting out of the train station. The fast pace of Tokyo makes the two of you feel unconnected. You glance at your phone, the time reading 11:47 AM. "Should we get something to eat before we get on another bus?" You look over to Suga who nods beside you. 

"What are you in the mood for?" Suga and you walk beside each other, hands intertwined. Pulling up your phone again, you open an app for directions to a restaurant you found last night. Suga glances over at your phone curiously and notices the name you punched into your GPS. "N-No way! Are we going to the Chinese restaurant that specializes in mapo tofu?" Suga grows more and more excited next to you, his hand squeezing yours tightly. "Mhm~" You say with a cheeky smile. You learned from Daichi and Asahi last week that Suga's guilty pleasure dish is super spicy mapo tofu. You can't handle spice all too well but you're willing to try if that means you get to see Suga's happy expression.

Suga walks in a daze just thinking about the dish. "Let's hurry and get there." Suga starts to pull you forward and you clench onto your phone. "K-Kōshi, the restaurant isn't going to get up and walk away. We don't have to hurry." You call out but Suga is too excited to slow down. You giggle when you look over at him. The two of you breezing your way past the crowd. "You don't even know where you're running to, silly." Suga slows down, taking your phone with his free hand. "Now I do." Suga sticks his tongue out at you playfully. You blush at how adorable he is. What was suppose to be a 20 minute walk turns into a 10 minute sprint run in the middle of Tokyo.

The two of you tiredly halt in front of the restaurant and in perfect timing. The owner steps outside to place an open wooden sign outside of the restaurant. He looks over at the two of you, a grin on his face. "Are you two here to eat?" A loud booming voice speaks to the two of you. Suga instantly straightens himself up and nods furiously. "Yes sir!" Suga smiles from ear to ear. 

The owner ushers you two to come inside and he personally sits you down at a table by the window. A waitress then comes over and hands you two a menu and two glasses of water. Suga eagerly picks up the menu and you tiredly reach for the glass of water. You didn't expect to run today at all. You watch the sparkle in Suga's eyes when he reads the menu in front of you. A smile etches on your face and you rest your cheek on your palm, quietly gazing at him. Your chest warm. You've never seen Suga this elated before. "What are you going to order Y/N?" Suga lowers his menu, surprised when he sees you staring at him. You hold your smile on him. 

"I'll trust your recommendations." Suga blushes a bit from your words, looking at the menu again. "You can't handle spice too well, right?" Suga speaks softly. You startle from his words. "H-How'd you know that?" You sit up straight, eyeing Suga. "I've never seen you eat anything spicy before." Suga chuckles when he meets your gaze. "You avoided anything spicy like a plague during the summer festival." You press your lips together.

_Suga's caught you._

"You also avoid anything spicy in your bento box during lunch. So I end up eating it for you." Suga grins and you shrink in your seat across from him. "It's not like I'm trying to avoid it..." You squeak out. "I'm willing to try the mapo tofu with you." Suga brightens when you say those words. "Okay. But if it's too much for you, I'll finish it off." He flashes you a smile before calling the waitress over and telling her your orders. A comfortable silence is shared between the two of you. The two of you look outside towards the busy foot traffic. "Things seem so fast here compared to Miyagi." Suga mumbles under his breath. You nod to his words. 

You feel anxious again about the future when your mind isn't distracted. The distinct smell of spices fills the restaurant and you faintly hear a wok flipping food in the kitchen. Time is slipping away from you and you're anxiously trying to make as many high school memories with Suga as you can before he graduates in the next few months. Suga quietly observes Y/N's distant gaze outside the window. His chest tightening at how beautiful she looks despite wearing such a melancholy expression. Thoughts about him graduating this year makes him afraid but what makes him more worried is not being able to see Y/N everyday so easily like this. Things will be difficult for the both of them when he graduates. The two of them know this when they agreed to become a couple. Suga fears that Y/N's feelings will waver when he's not around. 

The two lose themselves in their own thoughts. 

_'Clink'_

The sound of plates and bowls being placed on the table pulls the two of you out of your thoughts. The waitress bows to the two of you. "Enjoy!" She cheerfully says before excusing herself. The sound of wind-chimes ring in the restaurant and a few more customers file inside. You stare at the dishes in front of you. Your smell senses are fried from the intense spices from the tofu. You can only smell the tofu and nothing else. Your eyelashes flutter from the smell shock. "Holy hell. That's intense." You murmur out, your brows furrowing. 

Suga chuckles across from you. He reaches over for the spoon and scoops one tofu, placing it in your bowl of rice. Suga then scoops himself two pieces. The dangerous red color scares you when you pick up your chopsticks. Carefully, you take a decent bite of the tofu after blowing it. Instantly you scrunch your face, your tongue burning. Suga couldn't help himself from laughing at your reaction. He pushes your glass of water to you and you quickly swallow the cold liquid down. But it only makes your tongue burn more, the corner of your eyes forming tears. "Fuck." You cough out. You fan your tongue with your hand. Your watery eyes look over at Suga who's eating the tofu with no problem. He scoots over a chicken dish towards you. 

"Eat this instead Y/N." He laughs. "Thank you for trying the tofu for me." Suga flashes you a smile. "I don't know how you're able to eat it as if it's not burning your tongue off." You blink the tears away from your eyes and pick up a piece of sweet chicken, taking a bite and feeling much better. "You're just too weak Y/N." Suga teases you, grinning from ear to ear when he looks at you. You form a pout, stuffing your mouth with rice. "God, you're too cute." Suga nonchalantly says towards you, taking another bite of the tofu. You blush from his words, keeping your eyes down towards your rice. 

The two of you enjoy each others company while you eat. After slight banter on who should pay for the bill, you give in and allow Suga to handle it. The two of you say your thank you's to the staff before exiting the restaurant. Suga easily takes your hand and the two of you leave the restaurant with full stomachs. "We should be able to make the next bus ride to the lodge." Suga looks at his phone before sliding it back in his pocket. You smile from ear to ear at the thought of seeing the view of the lake again. 

Suga notices Y/N's cheerful smile. Her smile so infectious that he's smiling too. "You're really excited aren't you Y/N?" 

"Of course." You speak softly enough for Suga to only hear. "There's a lot of good memories with you there." Suga shyly smiles, his eyes ahead. The two of you wait at another bus stop for the second time today.


	58. I love you Sugawara Kōshi.

The bus comes to a halt near the lodge entrance. Suga and you thank the bus driver before stepping out and instantly feeling the clearer air. Suga takes a deep inhale and exhale, a smile on his face. You close your eyes, enjoying the bright sun rays kissing your skin and the gentle breeze of the wind flowing through your curls. Suga takes a moment to stare at your peaceful expression. He slowly takes a step forward and sneaks a kiss from you. Your eyes flutter open to a cheeky smiling Suga. "H-Hey!" You fumble your words, cheeks flushed. 

"You just look too cute. I couldn't help myself." Suga smirks at you. He tugs on your hand and leads you towards the lake. You're in a daze from Suga's kiss, your fingers lightly touching your lips. "I wonder if that knocked down tree is still here." Suga says beside you, the two of you walk along the lake shoreline. The two of you smile when you notice the familiar tipped over tree in the lake. Carefully, the two of you walk on top of the tree and sit down. The lake is now beneath your shoes. You're careful to not dip your feet in. Thankfully the lake tides are low today. 

You take in the view and you're left alone in your thoughts again. Several things started here at this very place. Your conflicted heartache emotions with Kageyama. Tsukishima's growing feelings. The start of Hinata and Yachi's relationship together. Also Suga's constant comfort and kindness when you felt lonely. You lean your head on Suga's shoulder, feeling his body tense underneath you. He gently places his hand on the top of your head, slowly stroking your hair. 

"I missed this view." Suga speaks up, his eyes smiling when he looks ahead. You nod your head beside him. "I'm glad we get to come here again together." Suga turns his face slightly, kissing the top of your head. "Me too." Suga whispers. Your heart skips from Suga. He's showering you with several kisses today. You lift your head off of Suga's shoulder and he turns to look at you. "I love you Kōshi." Suga widens his eyes and his face heats up from your sudden declaration. You stare at him with a serious gaze. 

"I-I love you too Y/N." His hand strokes your cheek and he shyly smiles at you. "What made you say that all of a sudden?" You press your lips together. "I just keeping thinking about how good you are to me Kōshi. I honestly don't know how I deserve to have a second chance at love with someone like you. You always seem to understand how I feel without me having to say anything." Words start to spill out of your mouth when you pour your emotions out to Suga. Your hand clenches onto your chest, your heart pounding against your rib cage. "I know you told me to not think about the future but my mind just keeps running towards that direction." You frown. "I can't imagine not seeing you at school anymore." Your vision starts to blur when you look over at Suga. "Who am I going to share my lunch with? Who's going to be by my side when I'm feeling lonely?" The tears drip down your face. 

"What happens if you find someone at college? Or worse...what if we grow distant?" Your cheeks flush red when you cry out to Suga. "I can't just not think about these things Kōshi." You squeeze your eyes shut, sniffling. "Hey, hey, hey." Suga's soft voice cuts through your sobbing. He lifts your chin up and hushes you with his lips. Your breath is stolen again when you hastily kiss him back. The kiss is more passionate than the other one's you've shared. The two of you deepen your kiss, wanting the other to know how much you love them. A kiss so passionate starts to turn rough and you start to feel the need for air. 

Thankfully Suga pulls away to let oxygen fill your lungs again. "How could I love anyone else other than you Y/N?" Suga softly snaps at you. "I told you before that there's never a moment where I'm not thinking about you." You recall Suga saying that during multiple occasions. Once before in your bedroom when you stayed home to recover. "You said you were kidding." You frown. Suga raises an eyebrow, confused from your statement. "When did I say that?" 

"When you were in my bedroom. The day you came over when I had a nightmare." Suga looks away to recall the memory. You watch a small smile form on his face when he turns to look back at you. "Why did you decide to remember that day and not any of the other times?" Suga chuckles, resting his forehead on yours. "I lied that day. I was worried you didn't feel the same way because of your reaction." Your eyes widen when you look into Suga's eyes. "So...you were basically confessing your feelings that day and retracted it?" Suga droops his shoulders and nods. "Yeah." 

You try to process this new information and Suga speaks up again. "I know I won't be able to be at your side like I am now but I'll always find time to be with you Y/N. No matter how difficult it would be. Just promise me you won't have your heart swayed by Tsukishima." Suga starts to kiss you again and your mind starts to melt. Closing your eyes, you softly kiss Suga. You try to speak between kisses. "I promise." Suga smiles when he pulls his lips away from yours. The two of you stare at each other with gentle loving eyes. 

"Let's get going before we miss the train back to Miyagi. Your dad would be furious with me." Suga stands up, extending a hand to you. You take his hand and the two of you leave the lake behind. You gently squeeze Suga's hand when the two of you walk towards the bus stop. Suga cheekily smiles at your adorable action and returns your squeeze with his own. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Time really escapes the two of you when you arrive back in Miyagi around five in the evening. You silently walk beside Suga, your hands intertwine together. "You'll be home before dinner." Suga looks over to you and you nod. You didn't want the date to end yet. But you're not sure how to tell Suga. Steeling your nerves, you stop walking and Suga slows his footsteps next to you. He looks at you expectantly. Nervously you part your lips to speak. "I want to spend more time with you Kōshi..." Suga blushes from your shy tone. "I want to spend more time with you too but...I don't want you to be in trouble for staying out with me Y/N." Suga tucks a stray hair behind your ear with his free hand. 

"Just another hour, please?" You look at Suga with pleading eyes. You've never tried to persuade him before like this so you're not sure if it'll work. Suga averts his eyes from you, squeezing his eyes shut and groaning under his breath. "W-Why are you doing this to me Y/N? You know I can't turn you down." Suga blurts out. His ears burning red. You giggle from his reaction. "So can we?" You ask Suga again and he weakly nods. 

"Is there anywhere else you want to go before we head back then?" Biting your lower lip you keep your eyes down, whispering. "Your place?" Suga drops his jaw slightly and stammers. "W-Why there?" 

"There's no where else for us to spend time alone comfortably." You squeak out an innocent response. You are lying however. Your pent up emotions weigh you down from today's earlier kissing frenzy. You ached for Suga's lips. "Well...that's true. My parents are still at work so are you okay with being alone with me in the house?" Suga carefully asks you and you nod. He forms a warm smile and pulls you along towards his place. The two of you arrive at Suga's doorstep minutes later from your walk. He turns to look at you. "Just to reassure you, I won't do anything to you. So make yourself comfortable." Suga steps aside to let you in first. 

Your inner thoughts scream at you that you can't promise him that you'll behave. You wipe the thought away from your mind, feeling your cheeks heat up. You shouldn't think like that. Taking a step inside, you take your shoes off and slide your feet into a pair of slippers. "Did you want to spend time upstairs or down here in the living room?" Suga's voice startles you away from your thoughts. He notices your antsy behavior. "U-Upstairs is fine." You timidly reply. Suga eyes your blushing cheeks but doesn't mention it aloud. 

"I'll meet you up there. I'll grab us some snacks and drinks." Suga leaves you at the foyer and heads towards the kitchen. You quietly walk upstairs, turning down the small hallway to Suga's bedroom. Twisting the doorknob, you enter inside. His bedroom is the same as last time, besides a few new things on his desk. You smile when you notice photo frames of the two of you. You walk over to Suga's bed and sit down on the edge. Lightly, you slap your heated face. You mentally curse yourself for acting so weird because of your hormones. Your eyes look over to the bed-frame and you recall the memory of Suga's gleaming eyes on you. 

Your face flushes again and you hide your face in your palms. Suga slowly walks into the room with a bag of chips and two soft drinks. He notices you covering your face on his bed. "Are you okay Y/N?" Suga curiously asks you, lowering the items in his hands on the tea table in the middle of the room. He sits next to you on the bed, gently prying your hands away from your face. His eyes widen briefly when he see's how red your face is. Furrowing his brows together, he presses the back of his hand on your forehead. "Did you suddenly get a fever?" 

Your face heats up more from embarrassment. "N-No." Suga lowers his hand and peers at your face. "Your face is really hot though." 

"It's hot for another reason." You murmur out. Suga tenses, his eyes frozen on you. You slowly meet Suga's gaze. "R-Remember how you said you're glad I'm aware that you're a man with desire?" Suga's face reddens when he hears you repeat his words aloud to him. "Y-Yeah, what about it?" Digging your fingernails into your palms to ease your anxiety, you lean your body closer to Suga. Your eyes focus on his pink lips. Whispering to Suga, your eyes nervously look up to him. "I also have desire for you Kōshi." 

You watch Suga's wavering eyes look back at you, his Adam's apple moving up and down when he gulps nervously. Closing your eyes, you press your lips against Suga's. Your lips hungrily kiss him. Suga tries to process everything happening in front of him but his mind is clouded by Y/N's lips. With trembling hands, Suga places one hand behind her head and the other on her thigh. You jolt from Suga's hand on your thigh but you're too enveloped by his lips to pull away. He gently presses your lips deeper onto his, his hand on the back of your head pushing you closer. The soft sounds of your lips against each other fills the silence of the room. 

Suga softly caresses your thigh and you feel your lower part heat up. A feeling you've never experienced before. Your kisses intensify by the second when you hear Suga softly groan. His sound makes you weak. Suga startles you when he pulls you towards his lap, your body facing towards him. His hands rests on your waist and the warmth from his hand stings you. Suga weakly pulls his lips away from you, catching his breath. Your faces both reflecting the same shade of red. You take a moment to relax your pounding heart. "A-Are you okay with this Y/N?" Suga asks you, his eyes full of lust but his mind still determined to respect you. 

_Fuck, are you grateful for Suga._

_He's still putting you first over his own raging emotions._

A smile grows on your face and you nod your head. "I started this after all." You whisper to him, a devious look in your eyes. Suga bites his lower lip, his hands squeezing your waist. "I'll make sure to be gentle Y/N." Suga whispers, locking his lips against yours again. You close your eyes, enjoying every single touch and kiss Suga showers you with. Feeling slightly confident, you surprise him when you slide your tongue into his mouth. A grunt escaping from him. You scoot your body closer to him, feeling something poke you from below. Before you can react, Suga flicks his tongue against yours. The two of you fighting against each other. Suga carefully lowers his hands to your butt, squeezing them. 

A moan slips out of your lips and you grow embarrassed from the sound you just made. "You're so fucking cute." Suga pulls away to look at you with a grin. He grabs you by the waist and gently lays you down on the bed. Your lips envelope each others again while Suga takes off his denim jacket. His hand finds their way back on your body, he slowly slides them under your shirt and you feel your skin heat up from where Suga's touched. Your lips are swollen from his kisses and you feel the air return in your lungs. Suga focuses his lips on your bare neck, gently sucking and kissing. You're unable to focus on a specific pleasure spot when you feel Suga grope your breast. 

Another moan slips out of your lips and you lay there completely wrapped around Suga's grasp. The lower region of your body starts to flare up. Your fingers hastily run through Suga's light grey hair, overwhelmed by all the pleasure you're receiving. You lower your eyes down to see a bulge in the tightness of Suga's pants. With Suga distracted, you carefully rest your hand against his hardon. Suga groans beside you and pulls his lips away from your neck. His hazel lustful eyes look over to you. "Let me pleasure you too Kōshi..." You bite your lower lip, speaking innocently to him. Suga's breath hitches when he looks at you. 

"Agh...you're making it difficult for me to be gentle Y/N." Suga restrains himself from being rough with you. You gently place a hand on Suga's shoulder, pushing him down next to you. Now with Suga lying down, you sit up and place yourself between his legs. Suga widens his eyes, surprised by your intentions. Before he can stop you, your fingers easily unbutton his pants and lower his zipper. You nervously touch his hardon. You've never been sexually active so you're an amateur in this department. Suga notices your hesitation. He places a hand over yours. 

"Y/N, I can take the lead." A gentle smile graces Suga's face. You knit your brows together, a frown twitching onto your face. "I want you to feel pleasure too Kōshi." Suga grabs onto your wrist and pulls you down against his chest. "I will." Suga says with a cheeky smile, he gently bites your lower lip. Suga extends a hand towards his night dresser, opening a drawer to grab something. You carefully watch him flash you a condom. "Daichi and Asahi gave me this yesterday as a friendly joke when they found out we were going on a date today." Suga's eyes look up to you. "I laughed at them for giving me this but...I'm glad they did." You blush when you look at Suga. You help him tear the condom wrapper and Suga securely puts the condom around his hardon. 

"Should I help you take off your jeans Y/N?" Suga swiftly swaps places with you, your back feeling the softness of the bed again. Suga fiddles with the zipper and carefully takes your jeans off of you. You grow embarrassed looking like this in front of Suga. Your hands flying to your face. Suga lets out a dry chuckle, he leans over you and kisses your ear. "We can stop if it's too much Y/N. I'm content with what we've done so far." Suga's sweet tone fills your ears and you slowly pull your hands away from your face. "N-No. Let's continue Kōshi." You reassure him with a kiss and he nods. Suga gently kisses you, erasing your nervousness away. His hand carefully rubbing your inner thigh. You feel yourself grow excited and aching all at once. You ached for him to rub closer to your lower region. 

Unsure how to tell him, you kiss him more roughly. Your tongue swirling around his. The both of you moaning. Suga seemingly understands your needs when you feel him slowly slide your underwear down. Lining himself up, he slowly inserts himself in. You wince from the unfamiliar sensation. "Tell me if it's too much Y/N." Suga softly whispers to you, his hand strokes your cheek. You knit your brows together and squeeze your eyes shut, enduring the pain from his long member. Tears well up the corner of your eyes and Suga wipes them away. "Y/N don't force yourself for me." 

You flutter your eyes open. "I'll be okay." A small smile on your face. You feel Suga's hardness inside of you. Suga kisses your forehead. "What did I do to deserve someone like you Y/N?" Suga's sweet tone warms your heart and you forget the pain briefly. Suga carefully thrusts inside of you, a new sort of feeling consumes you. Your hands grip onto the blanket underneath you. You can't form words to what you're currently feeling. Everything hurts but it goes away and turns into a rush of pleasure. You pull Suga's face towards you again, addicted to the taste of his lips. The two of you devour each other with kisses. Each thrust makes you moan and Suga tries to contain his grunts. Your moans turning him on further than he thought he could be. Your core feels hot and your insides tighten around Suga's length. 

Your mind starts to turn hazy when you feel yourself close to your climax. Suga wraps his arms around you and you do the same. Your fingers digging into his back. You hide your face in the nook of Suga's neck while he thrusts deeper. You whimper out Suga's name in his ear. "Fuck." Suga groans weakly beside you. "I don't know how much longer I can last Y/N." Suga says between clench teeth. "Kōshi..." You whimper out. Suga tightens his hold on you and your knees buckle, reaching your high. Suga reaches his climax a second later, releasing his cream inside the condom. Suga carefully slides out of you and tosses the condom in a nearby trash can before laying down next to you. His chest heaving up and down.

With the lust escaping the both of you, you're consumed with exhaustion and happiness. You inch your body closer to Suga, wrapping your arms around his neck. Softly, you press a kiss to his lips which makes him smile. "Thank you for being gentle Kōshi." You whisper. Suga places his pointer finger under your chin, lifting your chin up slightly. "Of course, princess." Your face flushes and Suga chuckles innocently. His lips meets your forehead and he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him so your bodies are touching. 

"I love you Y/N." Suga stares into your eyes, a delicate smile on his face. You feel your chest tighten from all of Suga's love. You're at your happiest right now. Returning Suga with a sweet smile of your own, you look directly into his hazel brown eyes.

"I love you Sugawara Kōshi. I love you so much." 

\- - - -

This concludes the long journey of **Ready. Set. LOVE.**

I want to thank you all for taking the time to read, commenting, and rating my story. I honestly didn't think anyone would find this story among the hundreds of other Sugawara fics.

But I thank you for giving this story a chance.

I really enjoyed writing every single chapter and poured all of my emotions into each one. There were times where I questioned why I'm hurting my own feelings like this with the twists and turns. 

So I apologize for putting you on my roller coaster.

I hope you enjoyed this journey with me!

I plan to write more fics but of different members in the future.

I hope you'll join me for those stories as well.

\- cutesight


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